Not in My Data: Act II
by LordCooler
Summary: Many things are easier said than done, but sometimes they can be almost impossible. Can one simply give up what they love for another person? Sequel to Not in My Data
1. Adrenaline

**Hello all! Yes, it is the antciapted sequel to "Not in My Data"! For those of you who are new, this a sequel to a story I recently finished as mentioned before, but I made sure I didn't give too much away in this first one so that people who are interested can read the first story to understand how things are going ^^ PLEASE READ "Not in My Data" first if you haven't, or else you will be horibbly, horibbly confused xD **

**As for this sequl...I'm still working on the title. Right now its Just "Not in My Data Act II" But thats a mouthfull, and I need help with working on a new one, so if you guys (and I know some of you will be great help) could PM me and suggest something, that would be great! :D**

**But enough blather, enjoy the first chapter of Metal Sonic and Nicole's adventure! Oh, and this story is going to have a little less fluff in it, so sorry to the huge Meticole fans D:**

* * *

Adrenaline

It was night; around the time that New Mobotropolis was shifting from night life to hitting the hay. Lights were turning off, citizens were going to sleep, and activity was coming to a standstill. It was quiet. Not even Flickeys could be heard. It was the perfect night; the perfect night for a robbery.

The peace and silence was broken by the sounds of sirens by a small time jewelry store as a figure dressed in black scrambled out of the broken window of the store. The criminal sprinted towards the nearest alley, effortlessly jumping over a tall fence as authorities arrived at the scene of the crime. An overweight brown bear stepped out of his vehicle, overlooking the damage and stolen goods. The manager of the establishment had arrived as well after being alerted, and didn't hesitate to make a fuss about how slow the Royal Guard was on apprehending the thief. The bear ignored his complaints and started reviewing security footage of the burglar. Though dressed in a standard black outfit, the thief was identified as a tiger. Gathering all he needed, the large Mobian lumbered to his car only to see a brown lynx in a purple dress waiting for him. He sighed; there wasn't much to do for him and his men anymore after "he" arrived. Nevertheless, the bear did his duty and described the perpetrator. The lynx stopped him short.

"We've got bigger problems, the Royal Armory's been robbed."

* * *

Another shadowy figure leapt across rooftop to rooftop. She was a lioness, wearing a standard black burglar outfit and gear. Inside a sack she had slung over her shoulder was a cache of weapons from the Royal Armory. She didn't know what they were or how to use them; she was just following the plan. And what a perfect plan it was.

_Connors really outdid himself this time,_ she thought to herself. _Scrambling the Royal Guard with the distraction at the jewelry store made this pick up a hell of a lot easier._

Arriving at the rendezvous, the lioness slid down a wall into the dark alley. Waiting for her was a tiger dressed like her, holding a similar sack even. He tossed his bag of goodies to his accomplice, "Here, keeping running through the city to get the Guard off our tails. You have the weapons, Jade?"

She nodded, revealing her stash a bit to prove it, "It was exactly where you said they were. But why are we switching bags again? If we both already have what we need, I don't see why we can't just bring them home in the first place."

Connors jerked the bag out of her hands with a scowl, "Because it would only be a matter of time until the royal guard tracked you down and intercepted you—or worse, followed you back to base! You were probably caught on security footage like I was. The Royal Guard is definitely going to put their effort in finding you; a local jewelry store doesn't come close in comparison to what you stole, so they'll be looking for you. And if they do, we won't lose what we worked so hard to get."

"I still don't like being bait," Jade glared at her boss, "Why couldn't one of the Toms do this?"

"Shut up, you're the only one who could pull of this sorta heist with me," he countered, "Besides, the Toms are only good for muscle and you know it. And you can definitely take care of yourself if you do get caught."

The lioness crossed her arms, "So now what? You're just going to head back carefree while I bust my ass?"

"No, I'm not taking any chances. I'll get to the warehouse where the Toms have the car to cover me. We'll slip away unnoticed, and if we get the chance, come back for you."

"You're a real gentleman, boss." Jade remarked sarcastically as she rolled her eyes. Connors seemed unimpressed. After inspecting the contents of the weapons bag, he slung it over his shoulder and leapt onto a rooftop. Jade picked up the jewels and head down the alley in the other direction.

"Jade," the tiger called out, "No witnesses."

And with that he bounded out of sight, leaving the female Mobian smirking. Her boss could be so dramatic sometimes. She turned to continue down the alley, but stopped abruptly when she noticed a figure leaning against the wall further away. Her blood almost froze, had they been caught?

The figure didn't move and kept his eyes closed. He appeared to be some big-eared cat. He wore a black turtleneck and had his arms crossed. Jade was puzzled, why was he just leaning there? There was something…frightening…about this mysterious character. Had he followed Connors here? She decided to confront him.

"Hey!" the thief barked. No response.

Jade fidgeted. This was an unsettling scenario. She was about to confront the figure again until he actually started to move. Towards her. The lioness immediately got into a defensive stance, and as the figure came closer, she saw that he was a blue lynx. He still kept his eyes closed, but his arms were now at his sides.

"You actually have a decent plan there," came his cool, calmed voice, "But the tiger took the wrong turn at stealing from a less significant area than a weapons cache; it's much too suspicious for one to mistake for a coincidence. Was the extra monetary value just convenience?"

Jade glowered, this lynx knew too much. In a flashing movement, she pulled out a large but slender knife from her belt, aiming it directly at the stranger. The dark blue lynx seemed unfazed. His eyes still remained closed.

"Cute," he responded, and faster than the thief could see, he clasped the blade between his palms. Before the lioness could attempt to counter, she watched the lynx's eyes slowly open to reveal two blood red pupils staring back at her. Her body stiffened as her eyes widened in shock; she didn't notice the stranger flip the knife out of her hand with a twist of his wrists. When it finally hit her as to what was going on, it was too late; the lynx threw an uppercut into her stomach.

Jade couldn't gasp at the sudden attack, as the wind was knocked completely out of her. The lioness lost vision, and she curled onto the floor unconscious.

The lynx stared down at the thief, disappointed with her frailty. Slipping a hand into his wrist, he pulled out a small, almost paper thin, grey oval. Holding it in between his thumb and forefinger, he clicked it, and a red light flashed on and off. After putting it on the downed lioness, he ran over to where the tiger had leapt off to, on his way to the warehouse that was mentioned.

* * *

"Captain, he's caught one of them," the brown lynx alerted after seeing a screen in his car flash. The bear moved away from the reporters who came to the scene and examined the screen in the vehicle. After a few moments, he mumbled something to himself and called a few of his officers to go on "pick up duty". Before going back to deal with the press, he tipped his hat to the female lynx.

"Thank you Nicole," he expressed gratefully, "We've got it from here. Be sure to alert the princess on the situation."

Nicole nodded back, "Please, you don't have to thank me…we're both doing our duties."

The lynx disappeared as the nanites that formed her body transported her to the castle. Seeing her departure the large, brown Mobian returned to the questioning reporters, _Yea, you're doing __**my**__duties…both of you._

* * *

Connors walked into the warehouse. While it was small, there were enough crates and barrels to conceal him in case the Royal Guard decided to check it out. Jade would be a good distraction, even if she didn't make it out with the jewels. Those were of little importance compared to the reward he'd receive for obtaining the weapons. The tiger put the bag down and rested on a nearby crate. Wiping his forehead, he sighed in relief, "Whew, this was a long night."

Suddenly, the doors to the warehouse broke down with a CLANG and the criminal jumped out of his seat in surprise. Expecting the Royal Guard, or worse, Connors peeked over the side of a few crates to see a lone dark blue lynx. Smirking to himself, the thief got up from his hiding place to approach him, "I think you're in the wrong place, friend."

The lynx's cold, blood red eyes lazily loomed over to the tiger, analyzing him as the target. The blue figure crossed his arms and spoke with authority, "Roy Connors, known criminal and petty thief, you are hereby under arrest for the theft of a jewelry store, and more importantly, weapons belonging to the Royal Armory. You have the option of coming quietly, but I'd prefer it if you'd put up a fight and struggle. It gives me something to look forward to."

The tiger didn't show fear, and the lynx could hear him chuckling to himself.

"To think I was worried," Connors continued chuckling, "I'm sure the Toms will have a good time breaking you into pieces."

With a snap of the thief's fingers, three Mobians stepped out from behind the shadows; a boar with large tusks, a deer, and a stork. Each wore black vests with an embroidered "T" on in it in gold, and each of the three were armed with bladed brass knuckles on each hand. The lynx concluded these were the "Toms".

"What do ya want us ta do with 'em boss?" the boar asked for orders. The other two "Toms" snickered.

Connors dismissed him with a wave of his hand, "Just make it entertaining."

On cue, the deer lunged straight at the lynx, bringing his weapons straight down aimed for the head. The blue intruder gracefully sidestepped the attack.

_Specimen is of the deer family; hearing is the specialty…but can also be a weakness…_

The red eyed lynx quickly boxed the deer's ears when he landed, discombobulating the thug, and giving enough time for the lynx to deliver a roundhouse kick to the head. The "Tom" teetered back and stumbled to the ground, down for the count. Almost immediately, the boar charged straight at the lynx and prepared to deliver a punch. The dark blue fighter jumped up to grapple the pig's tusks, and used them as leverage to somersault over the moving Mobian. Yet this seemed to be predicted, as the cat barely managed to dodge an incoming flurry of fists from the stork who had followed through with the boar's attack. The bird decided to change strategy and delivered a forward kick, only to have it be caught between the lynx's shoulder and arm. The stork gulped as he looked into those blood red eyes that seemed to glimmer with anticipation and excitement. The cat flashed a sadistic grin before a distinct CRACK was heard coming from the "Tom's" leg. Wailing in pain, the bird was then tossed into a pile of crates with relative ease.

Having disposed of the first two "Toms", the lynx turned to the boar, who had just turned around to see his companions beaten and battered in such a short time. Who was this guy?

Connors grew nervous; things weren't turning out so good for him. A plan suddenly dawned upon his head and he turned to the weapons cache.

The last "Tom" adopted a defensive stance similar to the lioness from earlier. Keeping his distance, the boar tried jabbing punches at the lynx. While the blue combatant easily blocked and evaded each assault, he couldn't help but find the irony that the brute was the smartest fighter of the trio of Toms. The tusked Mobian tried to fake out his opponent into jumping and landing a hit in the air, but the lynx never jumped, and the boar's high attack left him vulnerable. Taking the opportunity, the dark blue lynx crouched and swung his leg in a sweeping motion, felling the pig onto his back. He returned to his upright position, ready to finish him off-

"I think that's enough," commanded Connors.

The lynx spun around to see the tiger holding a strange looking gun aimed directly at him. The gun was rather large; instead of a muzzle, there were two rods that protruded. Apparently it was some sort of conductor to fire electric volts at enemies, but in this case: him.

"Tom," the tiger snarled, "Get the car over here!"

The boar quickly rushed to his feet and headed out the door. Through all of this, the blue lynx had a smirk plastered over his face.

"Have to admit, you've got some moves," Connors applauded. He opened his mouth to say something else, but was cut off by an explosion outside the building.

The smirk on the cat grew larger. His eyes narrowed with glee, "I'm sorry, was that large van I saw out there yours?"

Connors refocused his attention on the lynx, his arm shaking, "You son of a-"

The tiger held his breath when the red eyed fighter slowly sauntered towards him. He held the strange gun firmly in his hand, shouting, "Stay back! I'm...I'm warning you! Don't you know what this thing can do?"

"I don't think you are aware of its functions either," the cat countered, continuing his slow pace towards the thief. Connors felt sweat on his brow; this mystery guy was only a couple feet in front of him now. In panic, he turned his head, closing his eyes and pulling the trigger, expecting a bloody mess.

Silence.

One of his eyes peeked open. What happened? Or rather what _didn't_happen?

He swirled his head back; the lynx was still standing with an amused look on his face, "You might have wanted to try turning the safety off."

Before the tiger could even process what he had said, the lynx thrust his arm forward and gripped Connor's throat, squeezing. The tiger tried using the gun as a melee weapon, but it was smacked out of his hand easily. He was running out of air, but he was already out of options. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

"W-w-wait," He choked out, "I…I can t-tell you…who I-I'm working for!"

The lynx's facial expression remained unaltered, "I don't care."

Connor's ears flicked forward, not believing what he had just heard, "What?"

"Whoever hired you to steal these weapons could have definitely found someone better suited for the job. I'm sure he'll hire new lackeys sooner or later," he explained, "Finding him now would mean there won't be anything more for me to do later on. And I despise boredom."

The tiger was losing vision; the grip on his trachea was absolute. His face lost color as he couldn't even make out proper words.

"Feel that?" the lynx taunted, "That's your life, slowly ebbing away…do you think you'll die without regrets?"

As the thief was going limp, the lynx heard the sound of running feet and he craned his head to see a red haired squirrel in a blue vest arrive at the doorway. Taking a quick scope of the area, she brought what seemed like a wristwatch to her mouth, "Nicole, he's here."

The squirrel then directed her view on the lynx, glaring, "Put him down Metal."

"Princess Sally, you shouldn't be in such a dangerous area," He sarcastically replied while not loosening his grip in the slightest, "Besides, what do you care for this trash?"

"You know we need him for information!" she pointed her finger, "Release Connors this instant before we lose him!"

Just then, a swirl of green bits and pieces appeared near the squirrel, and the brown furred lynx formed forth from them. The other lynx stiffened a bit, spiteful that the princess would use such measures. The newly arrived female looked around in shock, but when she saw him, her ears folded down and a disappointed, sad, expression bore across her face.

_He has to stop acting like this,_she thought to herself before calling out to the other lynx, "Metal…please…put him down and let's go home. You've done more than enough."

The blue cat stared into her emerald eyes, those sad, green eyes. Wasn't he supposed to be doing everything he could to make her happy?

Sighing with defeat, the lynx dropped the unconscious tiger onto the floor. Keeping his eyes forward, he strode out of the warehouse, ignoring the two females as he passed them and disappeared into the night.

* * *

**There you have it! What do you guys think, huh? :D Now I don't know when I'll be able to update next, as I'll be pretty busy until the end of May . But I will definately finish this story! Oh and be sure to thank Espionage247 for beta reading still! ^^**


	2. Catching Up

**Eh heh, I got some bad news, I found a couple plot holes in the planned story so far and I'm patching them up as quick as I can ^^' Sorry! But this chapter is a little shorter than normal since it was the only thing didn't need to change :D This chapter should answer MANY questions...**

**To Zero: Long time no see dude xD Its only a little bit of fluff xD**

**To S.R.457: I've never heard of Metal Amy :O But thank you for literally asking for fanservice :D And I can't believe you reread the entire series twice! You deserve a cookie! *hands cookie***

**Remember to thank Espionage247 for Beta reading! :D**

* * *

Catching Up

"We can't have any more incidents like this, Nicole," Sally sighed as she leaned back against the wall of the palace break room. Elias, Nicole, Sonic, and she had decided to meet about the problem Metal was posing during his stay at Mobotropolis.

After the events with Eggman and the destruction of the Eggdome (which had served as the capital of Metal Sonic's Grand Mobian Empire), the android's body needed repairs beyond any normal mechanic's abilities. Since he was already within the presence of both Tails and Rotor, he had donned the nanites-Lynx Mobian body Nicole had created previously before. It was released to the public that he was staying as a guest until his mechanical body had been restored, and the AI decided to repay his debt to Elias by aiding with the hunt for Dr. Finitevus. Though, since an official task force had not been created yet, Metal had volunteered to assist with domestic problems.

Metal Sonic had left Mammoth Mogul and Honey to watch over his kingdom in his place alongside the G.M.E. council. With Honey practically managing the kingdom, Mogul's presence was merely to keep political power status quo in the prince's absence. The AI was sure that the council would try to obtain more power (like that of the Council of Acorn), and the great mammoth's talents and persuasive abilities could keep them in check. When asked about possible attempts at a coup d'état, the immortal Mobian assured that he would have his own taskforce to defend the throne.

It was all according to plan. This was his backup plan in case anything went wrong. And something did go wrong; _he lost his body._While it was temporary, there was no use telling when Tails and Rotor would be able to repair such a high maintenance article of machinery and technology. Both technicians had to admit that Eggman was ahead of even himself when he created Metal Sonic, and the term "hard work" had been given new meaning. Not to mention the pressure from the AI who was quite clear that everything had to be 100% the way it was. _No changes._Metal Sonic had to admit he didn't trust the Mobians, but Nicole managed to convince him to give them a chance. Besides, she seemed happy that he was able to use her nanites bodies she created for him, and the now-lynx had to admit there were definitely perks.

Still…he would prefered his real body for the current situation. After Tails retrieved the Zone Receptor left behind from Scourge, he and Rotor had analyzed its properties and technology. By the looks of it, it was not a mass production unit, and took considerable time and effort to create. But Scourge was merely a test subject, and that meant Finitevus's plans had already been set into motion. Metal Sonic had calculated the albino echidna would take quantity over quality to destroy zones quicker, not to mention building an army to defend himself. Plus, Eggman was still on the run, and Metal Sonic's rogue attitude wasn't helping the mood of uneasiness.

"He almost killed our only lead," Sally continued, "I know he's trying to help, but…we just can't have him do want he wants. This is _our_city."

The brown lynx's ears drooped while Sally continued talking. As usual, she was right. The news was all over the exploding van, but for some reason there were barely any people who opposed Metal's methods. Maybe it was because he was some sort of celebrity to them now, but one of the civilians interviewed on what they thought:

" '_Heck, it's about time we got more serious with criminals in our own city! The Freedom Fighters have been getting too soft in my opinion!' "_

That almost sent Sonic berserk. He couldn't believe something like this was happening again. What was wrong with people? Didn't they understand the consequences of taking a life? Didn't they understand that wounds needed to be healed, not made worse? He calmed down eventually, but was still disappointed with the city's take on Metal Sonic's ruthlessness.

The blue hedgehog leaned against the wall and stared out the window. His mind couldn't let go of Scourge's last moments. He was scared and alone, and wouldn't be missed by anyone. The last words his evil counterpart said to him were still ringing in his ears…

"-am I right Sonic?"

The hedgehog snapped out of his daze, "Huh? Oh, uh, yea. Definitely Sal."

The princess rolled her eyes, "Thanks for the support. But in all seriousness, are you okay? I mean, you're the one that wanted to have this talk, but you don't even seem to be able to pay attention."

"I'm…fine. Just thinking, that's all," the blue hero dismissed the concern, "Right now we should get Knuckles and any other friends we can contact to form teams to hunt down Finitevus. Metal can wait, but the bottom line is that he has to be controlled. His body is made of nanites, right Nicole?"

"Y-Yes," she cautiously answered back; she didn't like where this was going. Out of all the emotions she had experienced, fear and anxiety were her least favorite. Sonic couldn't be hinting that he wanted her to—

"Now hold on a minute," Elias interjected, "Even if he is going too far, Metal is still a diplomatic guest here. You've got to understand that the G.M.E. could mistake our actions and jump to the wrong conclusions. Then we'll be in an even bigger mess than we are now. Metal seems to trust Mogul and Honey to take care of things while he's here. _I,_on the other hand, don't trust that villain at all, and I'm sure he'll use any opportunity he'll get to seize power for himself."

Sally stepped forward, "So then what? Who's going to watch him while we're looking for Finitevus? Cream and Vanilla?"

"…I don't know," the king admitted while holding his chin, "But…we can't decide on this just yet."

"Um, excuse me…"

As all eyes turned to Nicole, the AI jolted a bit before getting the courage to continue, "I don't believe any of you have asked my opinion about this. I can help…I know Metal more than any of you…and, um, he listens to me."

The three Mobians shifted their eyes to the floor. This wasn't the first time they'd forgotten Nicole's feelings on Metal. The last thing they wanted was for her to leave them again, which is why Sonic had made sure Tails and Rotor work on Metal's body as slowly as possible. No one knew what would happen when he'd be able to go back; would Nicole go back to the G.M.E. with him?

Sally took her best friend's hand, smiling reassuringly, "Nicole, why don't you take Metal out somewhere? He probably needs to let off some steam and he'll have to find other things to do in his spare time anyway. We'll all talk about this with the Council of Acorn later."

The AI nodded and vanished in a green light to find her trouble making prince, her unsure look turning into a happy grin. The chipmunk looked back over to the other two, "Now, let's get started on recruitments."

* * *

_New Mobotropolis Prison:_

"I spy…with my little eye…something…."

"I'm going to kill him; I'm actually going to do it this time."

"Something…hmmmm…something…"

"Just let 'em talk himself to sleep again, Lightning. It's not like we're new to this."

"Yes, let Frog utter like a moron until the guards have had enough and come beat him to submission. That's one of the perks of sharing a cell with him."

"That actually leads to a question I've been pondering…why are we stuck in the same cell and Fiona has one of her own?"

"To torture us."

Once again, the Fearsome Foursome (known as the Destructix now) were in prison due to the Freedom Fighters. It was almost like a running gag now. They were interrogated about Finitevus, though the only thing they knew was that Scourge worked for him. Fiona explained that she was as in the dark as they were about the Echidna's plans and the Zone Receptor. The fox was silent for the first few days after being told of Scourge's demise. But she and the Destructix realized that Finitevus might not want some loose ends in New Mobotropolis, and they were eager to receive any protection possible.

"Something…ooooh, something gold and circular!" exclaimed Flying Frog.

Simian looked up with hope, "A glazed donut?"

Fiona had now gotten up from her cell to see a Warp Ring appear in the walkway between her and the Destructix. As an army boot connected to grey pants stepped out, the team of four knew exactly who it was.

"Sleuth!" Lightning Lynx cheered in a whisper.

The dog smirked as he turned to his old cohorts, "Been a while boys. I see things have been normal without me."

"Are you here to set us free, good sir?" the crazed amphibian questioned, "Impeccable timing, I was just getting started a game of I Spy."

"No time for games," Sleuth commanded, "Though I am here to get you guys out. We're hired for some muscle work."

Predator Hawk raised an eyebrow in interest, "Who's our target?"

The dog smirked again, "No one, we're on security detail."

Frog's face fell, "That sounds…incredibly boring."

Hawk ignored his friend's remark, "Who's your—I mean, our—employer? The last 'boss' we had didn't work out so well…"

Fiona pressed up against the glass wall; she was definitely interested in getting out. The fox hadn't seen Sleuth since he retired and handed the Destructix over to her. Why was he back?

"Your friend and mine," Sleuth remarked, "Good ol' Mammoth Mogul."

Simian felt bubbly inside. Everything was going back to the way it used to be. Sleuth was going to be in charge again, they'd work for Mogul…Drago wasn't there, but that wasn't a problem to the ape. The four nodded to each other in acceptance of the new contract and watched as Sleuth opened the Warp Ring to the Destructix's cell; entering it and reappearing inside with them. He then activated the Ring once more to their new designation.

"Just walk through here boys," he ordered, "Mogul wants us as his own personal secret service agents to make sure things don't get out of hand at the temporary capital of the Grand Mobian Empire."

Predator Hawk and Simian froze. Looking at each other they started laughing at the irony of their new job and happily walked through the ring, disappearing from sight. Sleuth moved to follow.

"Hey! What about me?"

The dog turned to see Fiona glaring back at him, "You can't just waltz in here and take my team and leave me behind!"

"I just did," Sleuth snapped back before vanishing into and along with the Warp Ring.

* * *

**As I said before, feel free to suggest a good title for this story, "Act II" seems a bit cliched for my taste, but it does have a nice ring :P You know what I haven't asked in like, forever?**

**PLEASE REVIEW! xD Ahhhh, it feels good to that again xD **


	3. Dat Lynx

**Voila! Chapter 3! xD Again, a big thank you to Espionage247 for Beta Reading and the current coverpage for the story! And if you look back to the original Not in My Data, you'll see another picture of hers as the coverpage for THAT! :D :D :D **

** Zero: Don't worry, taste testing will DEFINATELY be inluded in the next chapter :D What you said about Metal becoming addicted though...he only enjoys "certain apsects" of it xD **

**I'm still patching the plotholes up, it hasn't been easy D: Sorry for these long waits**

**I'm really loving the image options here ^^ I hate the new review button since the little finger pointer cursor doesn't appear to tell me I can click it . I also don't like the users who are going aroun flagging "innappropriate" M reated stories D: If the site has a problem with a story's contents, LET THE MODS DO IT. Don't be a stooge and shun someone's work...unless of course its unreadable :P Well written lemons (not written porn scenes) are still literature, and I personally don't understand how you can descriminate between M and MA. I know its been policy since 2002 blah blah blah, but if lemons fall under MA what falls under M and T? Why are sensual scenes WITH NO IMAGES worse than swearing or violence/gore? Whatever :/**

**Sorry for the rant, enjoy the chapter ^^;**

* * *

Dat Lynx!

Pink. What a dreaded color. Its obnoxiously bright and optimistic view was plastered before Metal's eyes. Pink roof, pink curtains, heart shaped windows, pink flowers; everywhere pink, pink, pink! The only thing normal about the house was the door and handle, which were the standard brown wood and bronze metal style of most Mobian homes. How could one endure so much pink? _Pink…_The name of the color was even annoying to him.

"Why are we here?" the blue lynx griped.

Nicole smiled softly before answering, "Amy's been feeling down lately and I agreed to see if there was anything we could do to make her feel better—"

"No, you were sent to see what has been troubling her."

The female AI shifted her feet, "Well…yes, that too…"

Knowing he would have to accompany Nicole with soothing the pink hedgehog, Metal sighed in defeat, "Very well, best we get this over with."

"Hang on," the female lynx cooed while pulling onto her love's arm, "Just remember that this is all we have to do today before our time together."

The prince's ears stood straight up. He pulled his brown lynx closer to him so that their muzzles touched, "I will be looking forward to that!"

Giggling, Nicole led them to Amy's door, knocking a few times, "Amy? It's Nicole and Metal! Are you there?"

No immediate answer came forth at first, but after a few moments the door creaked open. The pair was met with sad emerald eyes and a melancholy voice, "Hello. You can come in…"

Amy guided her guests to her living room (which to Metal's dismay was filled with more pink). Her depressed face soon dampened the spirits of Nicole while her companion remained unmoved; he just wanted to get this over with. But the usually cheerful hedgehog was out of character, and that meant something drastic had happened. As they sat down Nicole moved from Metal to sit next to her friend, holding her gloved hand in her own as she had seen others do.

"Amy…we've all been worried about you lately," she spoke softly, "Don't think we haven't noticed. I know sometimes the others can be hard to talk to, but you know you can always share your feelings with me, just like we always do."

The hammer wielder's eyes were glazed over and she kept her gaze to the floor. Swallowing a bit, Amy took her hand away from the lynx's, "I don't think you'd understand this time Nicole. I don't think anyone _could_ understand what's going on right now…"

"Well we definitely won't unless you explain your situation," Metal scoffed, deciding to engage in the conversation. Though apparently he was too harsh as the other AI glared daggers at him right after.

Nicole returned her attention to Amy, "Just ignore him, he-"

"No, he's right," Amy interrupted. She finally looked up to meet her friends stare, tears brimming in her eyes, "It's Shadow, he's gone. He's been gone for over a week and I haven't seen or heard from him at all."

The blue lynx's eyes narrowed, he was now intent on listening in. Nicole drew back in surprise; Amy might be right in that she wouldn't understand. She didn't know Shadow too well at all…

"A few days before the fight at the Eggdome, he called and said he'd be fixing his bike for the day. This wasn't the first time, so I didn't think much of it then," the pink hedgehog continued, "But I called the next day, and the day after that all the way to today, but still nothing! I've talked to Rouge, and she said he had left his position at G.U.N. sometime around when he last talked to me…I don't know what to think! Did he leave me? Is he lost somewhere? I don't know! I…just don't know!"

She collapsed into Nicole's arms crying, occasionally sobbing. The brown lynx closed her eyes and embraced her friend to comfort her. Metal on the other hand merely turned his head away from the sight, thinking about why the Chaos empowered hedgehog had simply got up and left. It certainly piqued his curiosity…

Nicole nudged the pink hedgehog to get her attention. When she looked up, the lynx offered a warming smile, "How about I get Sally and Bunny and we all have one of those…um, 'girls' night out' things we used to do? We could watch a movie and have the corn that pops. Does that sound like it would make you feel better?"

Her crying stopped; Amy managed a weak smile back and tried her best to speak between sniffles, "Yea…that sounds like fun…thank you."

The blue lynx across the room raised his eyebrow. Wasn't he supposed to have his lynx all to himself tonight? Now here she was changing plans because of an over emotional female. And why wasn't _he_ ever able to attend these meetings among Nicole and her female compatriots? What did they have to hide during these "girl's night outs"? Metal moved forward from his position, questioning with authority in his voice, "So we will be spending our time in Amy Rose's home then?"

That shocked the pink hedgehog's tears away, as both she and Nicole stared bewildered at the blue lynx in front of them. After exchanging a quick glance, both started to crack smiles and giggle, which only tested Metal's temper.

"What seems to be so amusing?" he scowled.

Amy caught her breath, "Metal, you're not exactly allowed to, um, _participate_ in a girl's night out."

His ears flicked in disbelief while his scowl deepened, "Why not? I see no reason as to why I should be excluded from such an occasion!"

That only caused Amy to outright laugh, holding her side, "Because you're a GUY!"

The AI in question was speechless. His mouth hung open while he tried to comprehend how he misunderstood the situation. Seeing this, the pink hedgehog burst into laughter once more, holding onto Nicole for support. The brown lynx felt a bubble in her chest, but it wasn't out of sadness. She felt…_happy_ seeing her friend cheer up thanks to Metal. This is what she wanted for the two of them, not the fighting or the politics. She wanted her and Metal to spend their existence making each other and others happy. Maybe he didn't understand the good feeling that came from that, or maybe he just hadn't experienced it yet.

After agreeing to have Nicole, Bunnie, and Sally come over to Amy's later that night, the lynx pair took their leave to spend what time they had together. It was still noon, so the couple decided to walk around the city; sort of like a trip down memory lane, except this time they didn't have to sneak about shops and dodging a certain gloomy Ultimate Life Form. Everyone knew who Metal was, and no one had to be afraid. That didn't mean everyone was okay with his being there, of course. But for the most part, the citizens of New Mobotropolis welcomed Metal as a sort of celebrity, especially since he was in Mobian form.

That was something Nicole noticed; the people at first were all a little unsure about Metal staying in the city, but when they saw his Mobian form…most of them immediately changed their opinions. Why was that? Did his appearance really matter that much?

Shooing the thoughts away, she clasped Metal's hand into her own and quickened the pace. She led them down the streets until the brown lynx halted suddenly, throwing Metal off balance. She turned back to with a wide smile, "Stay here, I'll be right back!"

Before he could protest, Nicole had already vanished into what looked like a fabric store. As he waited outside, Metal noticed some female Mobians glancing at him as they passed by. His eye caught a light blue robin winking at him. He returned a confused look, causing the bird to laugh in her hand. A reddish rabbit with dark rimmed glasses bashfully smiled at him from across the street. A group of young hedgehog girls squealed when they noticed they were passing him and squealed even louder when they caught his attention.

Why were they being so friendly towards him? He could kill them with one quick motion, but that didn't seem to intimidate them at all! Something had to be up…they must be plotting amongst themselves; though the AI had never thought the female citizens could be a threat to him. _Confusing scenario…staying on full alert…_

Preparing to assume a defensive stance in case of a surprise attack, the lynx's patience for Nicole started to wane. He was unaware of the predator coming up from behind him, and by the time he decided to check behind him, it was too late.

_SMACK!_

His jaw dropped and his eyes grew with shock while an orange and brown, tomboyish hamster came up from behind him. The lynx's hand went straight to his bottom to protect it from any further spanking. She gave a thumbs up as she went on her merry way, "Nice ass."

The AI was frozen in his place. _It appears I have been violated…_

After a few moments, Nicole finally exited the store with a large red and white checkered blanket in her hands. Beaming, she ran up to the stiffened prince, "Alright, I got it, let's go to the park Metal...Metal?"

Shaking his head, the blue lynx was brought back to reality. Ignoring the past events, he stared at the blanket with curiosity and tilted his head to the side, "What are you doing with that?"

Nicole giggled at his obliviousness, one of her favorite traits of his, "It's a picnic blanket. The people here use it when they get together with food to bring to the park. Even though it's just the two of us and no food, I decided to get it anyway. I know a perfect spot by the pond, so we better get there before anyone else does!"

The blue lynx nodded in agreement, but after glancing sideways, his body froze once more. Nicole followed his gaze to see a tan raccoon eyeing Metal seductively, giving a little wave with her fingers before walking off. Immediately, the female AI tensed up and felt angry. Who did this Mobian think she was? Metal was _hers—_

She stopped herself. What was this feeling? Why did she feel the need to hurt that woman? Nervous about her thoughts, Nicole took her prince's hand and dashed off to the park.

* * *

A clear blue pond, bright green grass, tall shady trees, and no one around except for the occasional Flicky, made the lynxes' time together well spent. They sat on the blanket overlooking the pond, taking in the sight of what Nicole had created. Everything looked perfect, except for one tree that looked like a head of cabbage, but Nicole had explained it wasn't something Metal would understand. Besides that, everything was perfect.

Their fingers were interlocked while the brown lynx rested her head on Metal's shoulder. Treasuring the moment, she sighed happily, "We haven't had a chance to do something like this in a while."

"Yes," her lover replied, "The last time we were outside together you were off fighting Snowbotnik."

A grumble of embarrassment alerted the male AI that the comment had satisfactory results. He smirked, "Has anyone else been alerted of your grand victory yet?"

"Don't you even think about it!"

The blue lynx chuckled softly. He lay down on his back, bringing his company with him, holding her in his arms. She closed her eyes, and a warm smile came across Nicole's face as her forehead pressed into his chest. She felt a nibble on her ear. Metal had started a habit of doing that, but she couldn't complain. In fact, she enjoyed it. The lynxes could have stayed like that forever…

_Forever, _Nicole's green eyes suddenly opened. A thought that had been nagging at the back of her mind brought itself forward once more. She nudged the other AI to get his attention. Once his blood red eyes locked on her, she nervously spoke up, "Metal…what's going to happen after…after all this is over?"

He remained silent, but his eyes told her to elaborate the question further. She broke eye contact, "When…when you go back…do you want me to come with you?"

"Of course," he replied with assurance.

"But…" she paused, not wanting to make a mistake.

"…But?"

The female AI bit her lip in anxiety, "But…but do you like it _here? _Are you happy right now?"

The blue lynx stared off behind her, thinking of an answer. Nicole waited in anticipation for almost a minute before he spoke. His hand rose up to bring her head back into his gaze, "I…am happy being here with you. I am always happy when I am with you."

Hugging her prince, Nicole pushed away all the terrible scenarios evolving in her systems; trying to savor the moment. To her surprise, Metal started to move and rolled her over so that he was on all fours above while she was flat on her back. He dove in for a soft kiss, to which his lynx happily returned. Breaking it, he glided one hand down the curves of her body and smirked, "Now how about we enjoy our company where not even Flickies can be heard."

The green eyed AI giggle as she pulled her lover into another kiss as their bodies disappeared in a flash of green.

* * *

_Destination reached…targets all accounted for…_

A shadowy figure loomed in a tree next to a house, looking through the window.

_Four organisms, all female…the television set is activated, targets seem to be distracted enough…calculating next plan of action…observation only…_

Metal Sonic shuffled in the tree for a more comfortable position. After settling in, he proceeded to watch and understand the events of a "girls' night". What was going on that was more important to Nicole than spending time with him? Amy, Nicole, Bunny, and Sally seemed to be watching a comedy, as laughter was the usual sound coming from the room. They were all wearing ridiculous looking outfits; what Nicole called "pajamas". She was in purple pants and button shirt, the pink one had a similar outfit but in red, while Sally and Bunnie wore simple blue and pink night shirts. Refreshments consisted of popcorn and what the AI had identified as soda.

"Enjoying the view?"

The lynx jerked his head to see Sonic the Hedgehog relaxing on a lower branch. He didn't show any smugness at catching the AI off guard, but still had a friendly smile, "Y'know I followed you here 'cause I was suspicious at what you were up to. Stalking around the streets in the middle of the night isn't exactly your friendly neighborhood watchman. Of course, had I known _this…_"

Metal Sonic glanced away expecting a boring "moral lesson" that the Mobians here seemed to be fond of teaching him. Instead he was surprised to hear his rival chuckling. Looking back, he was met with a goofy hedgehog grin, "Had I known you had this in mind, I would have asked to come along! You know what you're doing, I'll give you that."

"What? No, I…" the lynx fumbled his thoughts, trying to find the right words. Sonic put up his hand to stop him.

"Dude, it's cool," he chuckled again, "I'm glad I found something we could relate too."

"And that is?"

"The beauty of women of course!" he exclaimed with cheerfulness and bliss, "Spying on a slumber party is pretty classic dude, I'm glad I finally have someone to hang around with for these moments. Tails is still too young, Knuckles is always busy, Antoine is Antoine, and Shadow…well…"

The hedgehog started cracking up at that last part. Metal Sonic gave a small grunt before returning to his reconnaissance mission, which ceased the Mobian's laughter.

"Dude, why are you so serious? I told you, it's totally normal for us to be doing this. We just can't get caught," he spoke with a hint of fear in that last part.

The lynx's ears flicked towards him in interest, "Intriguing…why must we not get caught? Is the reason _that _terrible?"

Sonic snorted, "Have you ever met the bad end of Amy's hammer? Or worse, Bunnie's blaster? No thank you!"

"I fear nothing."

Before the hedgehog could retort, a shrill shout was heard from the house. Both Sonics looked through the window, preparing to leap out at any danger. Fortunately for them, it was only Amy, who had been hit in the back of the head with a pillow by Sally. Grabbing one of her own, she turned 180 degrees and sent the princess flying into the couch, knocking Bunnie and Nicole off in the process. Soon, all four had armed themselves with pillows and the fight began. Amy charged at the cyborg rabbit, while Nicole and Sally dueled on the couch. Laughs, giggles, and "oomf!"s filled the room.

The observing males were, of course, hypnotized (in a sense) at the sight. Neither dared to even blink as their eyes remained as large as dinner plates. Sonic lifted his arm up in a straight fist towards the AI while looking on, "Dude…"

"…What?"

"Fist…pound…"

"…_What?"_

The hedgehog sighed, "Never mind, just enjoy the show."

They sat on their respective tree limbs for what seemed like half an hour, hopeful that the pillow war would never come to an end. Metal Sonic did not understand why he was so entranced, but his eyes were fixed on Nicole. He noticed she used some evasive techniques he had used before. _Interesting…_

Sonic was just as mesmerized as his counterpart. So much so, that he didn't notice the slight creaking noise coming from where his branch connected to the rest of the tree. Suddenly, the limb broke off completely, sending itself and the blue hedgehog to the ground with a loud crash. Right in front of Amy's window, and right in front of the four females who had been alerted to the noise outside. No words came from either party. The speedster eyes darted up to find Metal Sonic, but his mouth gaped is dismay when the lynx had disappeared entirely. Returning his attention to the girls in the house, he stiffened at the sight of all four of them glaring straight at him.

"Crap."

* * *

**For those of you who cannot see Sonic being a peeping Tom...c'mon, we ALL know Sonic has his pervert side. Watch the subbed Sonic X, you'll know what I mean ;D **

**Don't expect too much Sonic and Metal Sonic bonding time, start looking at another character to become a "brother" figure :D **

**Anyone still guessing at who hired the goons from Chapter 1? Actually, I've gotten requests to bring back Connors and Jade (the tiger and lioness) which is weird sinec they're only one-shot filler character xD But who knows? **

**Until next time!**


	4. Shadow the Hedgehog

**Hello all! The new chapter is up, sorry about the wait ^^' Once again a big thank you to all followers, reviewers, and Espionage247 for beta reading :D **

* * *

Shadow the Hedgehog

His lungs were hurting, his legs were tiring, and his mind was racing. Never before had the great Ixis Naugus fled from anyone who dared challenge him, but today was a fine example of the term "Exception". What he wouldn't give to have super speed at the moment, but even that may not be able to save him. The wizard quickly glanced behind him and instantly regretted doing so. Shadow the Hedgehog was catching up. He seemed to be in a rage, as the Ultimate Life Form easily destroyed or avoided every obstacle of Earth or Fire that Naugus could throw at him.

Previously, Naugus had been biding his time and lying low after a recent loss, and was surprised that Shadow had managed to find him in his remote retreat in the wilderness. When the hedgehog stated his demands, the sorcerer made the mistake of laughing at his face:

"_You __**will**__ tell me, Naugus," the Ultimate Life Form growled, crushing a rock in his hand. The wizard seemed unimpressed._

"_And again, I find your ordering me around quite amusing," Naugus spat back, "Now leave me before I crystallize you into a new minion."_

_He turned his back to the hedgehog and resumed warming himself by the small fire he had created, thinking he was in control of the conversation. Hearing nothing in reply, Naugus believed Shadow had left. Unfortunately, he was corrected by the black and red speedster's foot making a strong impact on his back and sending the taller Mobian to the ground. Naugus immediately responded by launching the flames from his fire, only to have the hedgehog dodge with a backflip. _

_The Ixian rose to his feet with a snarl, "I take back what I said about crystallizing you; now I will simply bury you into the ground for your insolence!"_

_With a wave of his arm, the wizard created a fissure where Shadow was standing. But the Ultimate Life Form used a Chaos Spear to propel himself into the air and back onto the ground. With Naugus ready to unleash another attack, the hedgehog blitzed toward the villain and threw a hard right hook at his face. Landing on his rear, Naugus's anger grew even more. His head jerked up to his assailant, and it was in that moment that he knew he had to flee. There was fire in the hedgehog's eyes; the fang-bared scowl on his face and clenched fists signified he wasn't going to hold back on anything. Thinking quickly, the Ixian conjured a wall of earth to separate himself from Shadow and to make his getaway._

He had gotten past the wall, broken through the windstorm, and avoided being hit by fire and crystal based attacks. Whatever was driving the hedgehog's determination, it was stronger than Naugus's entire arsenal. The wizard's muscles pumped harder as he ran in disbelief. The Ultimate Life Form behind him destroyed wall after wall of earth and crystal; he was close to catching his prey.

Wanting to end it as quickly as possible, Shadow charged his hand and threw a Chaos Spear at the Ixian. Naugus defended himself with another wall of earth, yet it was destroyed in the process. He was getting tired; his pants became heavier and he sweated more profusely. His mind raced through his abilities until an idea came to mind. Focusing his powers, the wizard created a small tornado around his legs to levitate in the air. With a triumphant grin, Ixis Naugus flew into the sky laughing with relief.

"How much it must unnerve you that as a hedgehog, you are confined to the ground," he taunted, "Do not think I will forget this moment, fool! I will-"

He caught his breath and released a slight whimper as Shadow disappeared in a flash of Chaos Energy. The hedgehog reappeared in front of the wizard and unleashed a Chaos Spear at point blank. As Naugus fell from the sky, Shadow dove to catch up to grip his collar.

"Chaos Control!"

Both appeared safely on the ground.

Before the taller Mobian could react, he was thrown to the dirt. The black and red hedgehog immediately jumped over and kicked Naugus's stomach to stun him. Clutching the wizard's collar once more, he drew back his right hand and sent a straight punch into his face. He continued punching the helpless villain for a few moments, then proceeded to release his barely conscious form.

"I…already told you," the defeated Mobian coughed in pain, "Ixis Mogul deemed it a failure when he couldn't unlock its powers-ACK!"

Shadow silenced him with a swift swing of his foot. The Ultimate Life Form leaned over Naugus's crumpled body with a glare, "Now…you will take me to the Ixian Emerald."

* * *

"Prower!"

The young fox flinched as a commanding tone almost shouted his name. He was just coming out of the lab where Metal Sonic's robotic body was being kept for repairs underneath the castle. Only a select few knew of its whereabouts, so the Mobian was frightened if an enemy had called his name. His fur frazzled, he steadily turned over to see Metal Sonic behind him (arms crossed, of course). Relieved, Tails held his forehead in an embarrassed laugh, "It's just you Metal, heh heh…ummm, what can I do for you?"

"I would like to know the progress on my body? When can I transfer back to it?"

"Oh! Uhhh," the yellow fox nervously averted his gaze from the lynx, "I-It's coming along fine-"

"_Fine?"_

"-Um, more than fine! It's just that uh…Rotor and I are just trying to get used to working with such complicated wiring…and…the, uh, alloy that makes up the outside of your body isn't too malleable," he finished. Playing with his hands, Tails returned his eyes to the blue lynx in front of him. He didn't seem too convinced.

"Perhaps if I assist you in-"

"That won't be necessary," Rotor interjected as he exited the lab as well and walked up to the two, "Please Metal Sonic, you've already been doing so much for us here…at least let us do this on our own to pay you back."

The walrus smiled and pat Tails on the shoulder, "You'll have to excuse him, we're both a little tired from working. It's been quite the project for the two of us. Your mechanical body is quite complicated, but it's a challenge I willingly accept and enjoy!"

"Very well," Metal Sonic dismissed hesitantly. He had to make himself trust these two Mobians, or else disappoint Nicole and make his situation here more awkward. Rotor soon excused himself, but not before whispering to Tails behind the blue lynx's back. After the fox nodded, he left back to the castle explaining to the red eyed lynx that both he and Tails needed a break. With nothing to do (as Nicole was busy with improving the city's foundations), Metal Sonic appointed the young Mobian boy to entertain him.

"You…you want to hang out with _me?" _Tails blurted out with shock.

"Hang out?"

"…What?" Tails tilted his head in confusion.

The lynx's eyebrows creased, "What do you mean by 'hang out'? I don't want to hang…"

Realizing what the AI was talking about, the two-tailed fox grinned and stifled a laugh before explaining, "No, it means to spend time together, like having fun or something."

"And what do you do for fun, Prower?" Metal Sonic asked. Young Miles was stumped for a moment. What did he do for fun? For obvious reasons, he'd have to exclude going on adventures with Sonic, but what else did he do?

"Well…" The fox grinded his lip as he thought of an idea. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, "I do have to fix up the Tornado a bit, and I guess I find it fun to work on."

"Then we'll do that. Take me to your workshop," the prince ordered, but not unkindly. The yellow fox agreed and cheerfully guided the lynx to the way. At the garage was the plane. Though it belonged to Sonic, Tails had practically taken unofficial ownership of the Tornado and was in the middle of upgrading its fuel tanks and accessories. Metal Sonic entered the vicinity and stared at the plane for a few moments to analyze. Tails, on the other hand, simply stood by awkwardly; as he didn't know how to start conversation with what used to be one of his greatest enemies. Thankfully, the lynx in question broke the ice.

"You certainly know how to spend your time, Prower," He congratulated with a smirk, "Working on the Tornado should prove to be quite…'fun'."

"R-Really?" The Mobian blinked dumbfounded. No one else had thought his projects were ever "fun". He felt a smile crawl upon his face. Grabbing a few tools, the yellow fox quickly explained the dynamics behind the installations he intended to make. Understanding every word (another surprise to Tails), the AI asked for some tools to help him.

"If you're putting in new fuel tanks," Metal Sonic rubbed his chin, "You might as well improve the engine."

Tails's ears flattened, "I would…but I don't have anything new to put in there. I've been saving up for a new piston, since all I have are scraps of older models-"

"That should be enough for us to work with," the lynx interrupted, "I learned from my creator that the companies who create such machinery really just recycle older models, polish them up, and label them as 'new and improved' to justify the higher pricing. We can assemble parts from what you have here in the scrap pile."

He headed over to the older piston engines, with Tails following him eagerly. They spent about a half an hour picking out undamaged parts in good condition from the older engines. From time to time, the young Mobian would curiously peek over to his new companion. Did Metal Sonic really disregard them as enemies now? It seemed like most of everyone else in New Mobotropolis had, so it would make sense for him to not feel threatened by his presence, right?

Dwelling on his thoughts, Tails recalled their battles against each other and compared it to their working together now. _Sonic seems to be cool with Metal now too, _he realized, _so…I can put his past behind me too!_

Having finished picking the parts for the new engine, the yellow fox decided he would dissemble the Tornado while Metal Sonic would put together the engine. The lynx scanned the scraps to put together blueprints, and proceeded to his work. Enthusiastic as ever, Tails hurriedly did his part of the project. With Metal there to help, the usual time for such labor was reduced to a fraction of what is was when Tails worked alone.

After putting in the new fuel tanks, the pair worked together to install the engine Metal Sonic had created. The young fox then jumped into the cockpit to turn on the Tornado.

"Ready?" the lynx called out. Tails nodded his head and activated the plane. It roared beautifully. The Mobian put a thumbs up out to his new partner, in which he returned in kind. As Tails turned the Tornado off and got out, the AI crossed his arms with approval.

"We should clean ourselves, Prower," he said with a chuckle, "You look as if someone used you as a cleaning rag."

The fox's face reddened when the lynx pointed out the grease stains all over his fur. He decided to laugh his embarrassment off and invited Metal to wash up at his house. Metal almost declined the offer, but then realized his own stains of grease and oil. Remembering how Nicole always kept her coat clean, he decided to accept. Tails beamed back at him and headed off with a cheerful, "Follow me!"

* * *

Inside the castle, Princess Sally Acorn slumped onto her bed. She had just finished briefing Sonic and Knuckles about their first lead on Finitevus. After Rotor had taken Scourge's Zone Receptor apart to study it, Rotor (with the help of Nicole) created a specialized radar that would hone in on anyone using a Zone Receptor so Sonic and the others could track them down, remove the Receptor, and hope to reverse its effects. Since the device amplified an individual's power, Both Sonic and Knuckles volunteered for the first mission. The echidna claimed that they were the perfect team for a "test run" of the new strategy to take down Finitevus. Both he and Sonic had now left in the direction of a very slow moving signal headed toward Furville. Though it was far, Sonic and Knuckles assured they could intercept it in time.

Now Sally had to go to another "briefing", except that this time it was with Nicole. She had asked the squirrel earlier if she could talk to her about Metal. While Sally was excited for Nicole that she found love, the princess had to admit her best friend was starting to get on her nerves with all the questions. As if the whole universe-threatening situation wasn't stressing her out enough, Nicole had been expanding her understanding of relationships and seemed to have awful timing concerning the tired out princess.

As soon as Sally had lain down on the couch of the salon, Nicole materialized in the chair near her. Mentally cursing, the Mobian plastered a small smile to greet the lynx, "So what was it you wanted to ask?"

The AI looked a bit unsure to speak at first. She opened her mouth slightly before darting her eyes away to the floor and back. Finally gathering enough courage, she tentatively asked, "Has Sonic ever bitten you?"

Sally's eyes widened at the surprise, "What, bitten me?…Where exactly do you mean?"

"Has…" Nicole started out, but she soon became silent. The squirrel on the couch gave her a slow nod to continue. The lynx chewed her bottom lip, "Has he bitten you around here?"

She pointed to the corner of where her neck and shoulders met. Sally immediately sat up to observe, "When did Metal bite you there?"

"He's done it a couple times when…um…I'd rather not say," the AI blushed, "But the first time he's done this was back when I was staying at the Grand Mobian Empire with him. That's when he first tried out the Mobian style body."

The princess's pupils shrank with disbelief. She stuttered with what seemed like gibberish before finding the right words, "Nicole…do you realize what that gesture means? Biting you in that area, I mean?"

"Well at first I thought it was a sign of affection," the lynx explained, "But he's been doing it more frequently, saying it's on impulse and he can't control it."

Sally rubbed two fingers over the mark on her friend. Looking into her eyes, the Mobian's face and tone of voice became serious, "Nicole…have you…have you had an 'intimate' relationship with Metal Sonic?"

The lynx quietly nodded; unsure of what Sally was leading to.

The red head sank back into the couch and blew bangs out of her face. How did the AI who had been around and studied Mobians for so long not understand this?

"Sally?"

Her head turned to the lynx. Sitting upright again, Sally leaned forward, almost whispering, "Nicole, when a male Mobian bites a female Mobian and vice versa on that part of the neck…it means they claim each other. As mates."

There was a long silence as Nicole soaked in the new information. Her stare was glued to the floor. Sally wondered if her friend could grasp the revelation and held her hand. Soon, the lynx's mouth turned into a smile, and a rather large one at that.

* * *

"How long till we get there?"

"Not long."

"Hmph…where are we anyway?"

"Only a dozen or so miles from Furville. We've almost caught up to this guy. He must be really big if he moves this slowly," Knuckles observed. He and Sonic were almost on top of their target. Though the super speeding hedgehog could have gotten to him in half the time, Knuckles wanted the 2 to 1 advantage when they arrived to take Finitevus's lackey down. Right now the pair was running through grassland with nothing in site but a distant forest and small hills.

Sonic overlooked the area, "Shouldn't we be able to see this guy? He doesn't have any cover…"

"That's exactly what I was thinking," the echidna agreed, "He's not above us either, so there's a chance he'd be burrowing somewhere."

The hedgehog quickly grimaced at the ground beneath him, but then smirked at his accomplice, "That's where you come in right?"

Knuckles gave a quick laugh, "Let's hope not. I'd rather get him in an open area where we both can fight him."

"Right…just remember, this guy is not gonna be from our zone, so we're clueless as to what we're going up against," Sonic stated.

The red Mobian raised an eyebrow, "How can you be so sure?"

"Finitevus's plan is to destroy all life, right? If he had someone from our zone with a Zone Receptor, he'd be vanishing along with the rest of us."

Knuckles grunted in response and looked at the radar-bracelet on his wrist.

"Why don't I get to wear one of those?" the blue hedgehog complained.

"Because you'd probably lose it anyways," he shot back, "Hold up, he's right in front of us."

The pair halted. Sonic scratched his head while the echidna scanned around them with his eyes. There was nothing in front or behind them, neither was there a place for one to hide. Knuckles put his ear against the dirt to listen for vibrations. There was nothing, indicating that the enemy was not burrowing underground. He stood up and rubbed his chin, "Hmmmm."

Getting bored, Sonic suggested that Finitevus's henchman could be invisible and decided to run around a twenty meter radius to see if he'd crash into anything. His partner pinched the bridge of his nose and called out on him for such a reckless plan. Ignoring his rebuttal, the supersonic Mobian went on dashing around.

Knuckles sat on the ground as there was nothing better to do. Sonic couldn't be reasoned with right now, and besides, he needed to rest his legs after a long trip.

_I hope Julie-Su is alright without me,_ he pondered,_ I feel bad she was left with Vector and Charmy to guard the Master Emerald…_

Sonic soon zoomed in front of him, making the echidna flinch as he was broken out of his thoughts.

"Dude, I didn't catch a thing," he shrugged, "But…look at this awesome toaster I found!"

"A toaster?" the Guardian repeated in confusion. He got up to get a better look. It was the average looking toaster; chrome, black handle to push down the bread, two slots. But…there was something odd. Someone had put a sticker on each broadside of what looked like flames.

Sonic snickered to himself, "I am totally keeping this thing."

"What are we going to do about the target?" Knuckles questioned to bring the hedgehog back to focus, "Maybe if we get to Furville before him-"

"Yea!" The blue speedster cheerfully agreed, "Then I can use my new toaster!"

"Fools! You won't be going anywhere! Mwuahahaha!" A voice rang out.

Sonic dropped the toaster as both he and the echidna got into a defensive stance. They scanned the area, but no one was around. They looked up. No one there either. While Knuckles kept his posture, Sonic dropped his guard and stepped forward, "Alright, enough games. Who's there?"

"What? I'm right here!"

"Ha! Told you he was invisible!" The hedgehog flipped around and pointed to the red burrower (who rolled his eyes).

"I am not invisible!"

The voice seemed to have a Spanish accent. Sonic jumped back to his previous stature, "Then where are you!"

"…Down here."

Both Mobians' eyes grew as wide as dinner plates as they looked at each other and then to the ground. The guardian was cautious with his suspicion of who was talking, "The…toaster?"

"Yes!" the kitchen accessory maniacally laughed, "But not just any toaster! You poor unfortunate souls face _Diablo! _The toaster from hell!"

The toaster hopped from its side in front of Sonic and Knuckles, "Prepare to meet your doom!"

* * *

**Yea, about the Ixian Emerald. Its my own creation because SOMEONE keeps destroying all magical objects/plot devices in the Archie Comics! I'm lookin' at you Ian Flynn! D: **

**Anyways, we're getting deep with Finitevus's plan, and you'll see a few more lackeys :D**

**By the way, the LEgend of Korra finale came out recently, and it was pretty good. Legend of Korra is a spinoff of Avatar: The Last Airbender that is about 11 episodes. If you want an interesting villain, watch this show :O**


	5. Diablo

**Okay, I know its been slow with updates, especially since its summer, but I think I'm on a roll now, so expect more frequent updating :D I still have finished filling in the plot holes 100% yet, as its been forcing me to either drag out the story some more or go with a different idea :/ But thank you everyone for your support and reviews so far :)**

** The Drone: Dude, its ironic you request that because I had to scrap him and Rouge because of one of the plot holes ^^' Sorry...And be patient with Metal's robot body :D There's more to it than it seems...**

* * *

Diablo

Sonic the Hedgehog almost pinched himself to make sure this wasn't some wacky dream. Beside him, Knuckles the Echidna was still bewildered at the truth of their enemy. Their enemy was a toaster. But not just any toaster…

"Are you fools ready to leave this world?" cackled the kitchen accessory. He did not receive a response of any kind. Rather, an awkward silence blanketed the moment of the encounter. The two Mobians were unsure if they should be taking the situation seriously or not.

"Um," the blue hedgehog scratched his neck, "Is there…is there anyone else with you, little guy?"

"…No…"

Knuckles slightly cringed before his partner continued, "Right, right…so then…how about just coming along with us quietly? I mean, you're caught and all, so-"

"You fools don't know how outmatched you are," the toaster interrupted with a prideful boast, "Back on the Great Kitchen, I was the most destructive fighter in the arena! Even Romero the Waffle Iron didn't-"

Diablo was cut off by the sound of snickering. Sonic couldn't help himself, and he soon burst out laughing. His echidna companion was still trying to come to terms with the fact he had been sent all this way to fight a toaster, and looked back between the hedgehog and Diablo. The supersonic Mobian dropped to one knee and attempted to speak between his merrymaking, "Dude...we're fighting some kind of gladiator toaster! Named…named _Diablo!"_

As he descended into laughter once more, even Knuckles managed to crack a small smile. Diablo, on the other hand, remained still. Sensing the hedgehog was not going to stop soon, he lashed out with his electric cord, smacking Sonic across the face. The hedgehog yelped in pain and snapped into a defensive stance, rubbing the new red mark on his cheek.

The Guardian raised an amused eyebrow, "Is it still funny?"

"Shut up."

"Why don't I just take care of this," he offered, "You look like you've had a disappointing day."

Sonic scoffed, "Whatever, I'm here if you need me."

"Sure, sure," the echidna cracked a smile as he walked towards the demon toaster. Though he was confident, Knuckles did not make the mistake of being cocky. Finitevus's Zone Receptor was attached to the kitchen appliance (he guessed it was inside of the toaster for protection) and there was no telling what power it had. He also had to take into consideration of leaving "Diablo" intact; the pair would later have to bring him back to New Mobotropolis and reverse the effects of the Zone Receptor. Only a few feet away from the enemy, the red Mobian prepared to attack, "You should be ashamed for betraying your own people."

"Hmph," Diablo shrugged off the comment, "Then you know not to expect any mercy, filthy creature?"

Knuckles dove in with a punch, but the toaster quickly coiled is cord around his wrist, and swung him around. Catching the echidna in confusion, Diablo tripped him by whipping his ankles. The plug at the end of the cord started to spark. Spotting the electricity, Knuckles rolled to the side in avoidance of the toaster's next attack. Dodging proved to be mildly easy, as the kitchen appliance could not land a single hit. With an unexpected attack, the toaster flung itself and crashed straight into the Guardian's head with a loud THUD.

* * *

An apple.

A slice of cake.

A hunk of cheese.

A glass of water.

A head of cabbage.

Candy wrappers.

These were but a few of the many items of food and taste-worthy objects that were a part of Nicole and Metal's experiment. Like she had done before, the AI lynx had decided to test out her lover's taste buds in his nanites body; partly to see if the nanites were doing their job, and partly because she wanted him to have the experience. She had started with baking a small loaf of bread so Metal Sonic could understand what ingredients made which flavors. After it came out of the oven, the prince was hesitant to put a foreign object in his mouth. But after chewing a piece off, his eyes widened. He didn't realize how tasting could make one feel so good, and Nicole was happy to say "I told you so". Now, with a notepad in one hand and a pencil in the other, the pair was at their last item: chocolate.

"Okay before we move on," the female lynx nibbled her pencil, "let's go over the previous tests…how we feel about fruit?"

"Fruit is sweet and juicy for the most part. I approve."

"Mm-hmm, how about cake?"

"Only in small amounts."

"Bread?"

"I prefer whole wheat."

"Cheese?"

"Like other dairy products, I find them enjoyable."

"I know you liked the meat," she chuckled at bit, "How about vegetables."

The male AI winced, "No…not at all…very bitter…"

"Okay…doesn't like vegetables…interesting," Nicole continued writing, "You certainly have a sweet tooth…it amazes me the nanites can come up with such individual senses. Alright, let's finish this!"

Scribbling down quick notes, the brown lynx nodded for Metal to proceed with the chocolate tasting. She watched him bite down on a chocolate bar before focusing her attention to writing his initial reaction, "How is it Metal?…Metal?"

She looked up to see her prince shoving the rest of the chocolate bar in a frenzy with a feral expression on his face. Nicole grimaced at the site; she hadn't expected this kind of reaction. Deciding to make the most of it, the brown lynx continued to log her discoveries. Metal had finished the chocolate bar in a matter of seconds, and its remains were smeared all over his face.

"I'm guessing you enjoyed that?" Nicole smirked. The other AI nodded, licking his lips in an attempt to collect the leftover chocolate. Nicole scooted up to him and pressed her mouth tightly against the corner of his mouth. Drawing back, her tongue swiped her own bottom lip, "You missed a spot."

_Clever girl, _the blue lynx observed.

"Though…you probably shouldn't have eaten that whole thing," the female AI stepped back cautiously.

Metal's ears flattened, "Why not?"

Still backing away, Nicole gave out a guilty laugh, "Well…your body is going to expel it out of you soon…there's a reason why I only had you taking bites, eh heh."

Her prediction coming true, the male AI felt a pressure in his abdomen and soon chunks of chocolate and other foods burst from his mouth all at once. Since the nanites didn't make _actual_ saliva as regular Mobians do, the regurgitated food was relatively dry, though still chewed up. Still, Nicole soon regretted performing her experiments in Sally's room…again.

_That information could have been useful __**beforehand**__,_ Metal brooded in his head, _but still…the taste of such a substance was worth it._

After recovering from the horrible experience, the blue lynx wiped his mouth with disgust. However, he appeared to quickly put it behind him as he slyly eyed and sauntered to Nicole, "I think I'm ready for dessert now."

The female AI was preemptively silenced as Metal charged ahead and pulled her into a kiss. Snaking his arms around her, he began nibbling down her neck; the bewildered brown lynx was enjoying the situation. She rubbed her fingers over a bite mark she placed on her lover earlier that day at the base his neck. Caught in bliss, Nicole didn't realize Metal was slowly moving them onto Sally's bed until it was too late. She put a hand on her lover's forehead in an attempt to stop before it was too late, "Metal, we can't do this here."

"Why not?" he frowned in disappointment, "I've already started…"

His caressing moved down to her upper chest and collarbone, releasing a slight moan from his prey. Nicole couldn't resist. But…to commit such an act on her best friend's own bed? The blue lynx put a hand on the rim of her dress, "You know there's only one way to stop me…"

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_

"…and there it is…"

Saved by the bell, Nicole left the now grumpy prince's arms to answer the door; as she half expected, it was Sally. The princess was playing with her bangs, ready to retire to her room, when she noticed the aftermath of Nicole's "project".

"What…what happened in here?" the squirrel cried out while holding her head in disbelief, "What did you do to my room!"

The female AI fumbled for words, "I, uh, we…You remember when I first learned about tastes?"

Sally's eye twitched as memories of that horrifying disaster resurfaced. Food stains on the wall, crumbs and wrappers on the floors, "nanite puke" everywhere, Antoine crying…

The squirrel held her face in one hand, "Metal…why do you always have to destroy my room?"

"It is quite the luxury," the prince smirked back.

"Anyways," she continued, "I think I've something to keep you two out of trouble."

* * *

"That's right! Flee, you fools! Flee from the terror that is _Diablo, the toaster from Hell!"_

"This guy loves saying his own name," Sonic sarcastically remarked as he picked up Knuckles over his shoulder. After being hit repeatedly in the head by a steel toaster, the echidna was dazed enough that Sonic needed to intervene. For a toaster, Diablo was proving to be quite the formidable opponent. The blue speedster was starting to worry about his reputation and what would happen to if he lost this fight. Oh gods, he'd never hear the end of it from Sally, or worse, Metal Sonic.

Laying Knuckles on the ground, the hedgehog faced the demon kitchen appliance to blitz an assault. Sensing this, Diablo used the power from the Zone Receptor in his own attack. As Sonic took his first running step, the toaster leaned his slots towards him and blasted a roaring flamethrower. The blue Mobian managed to skid to a halt just in time before hitting the terrible inferno. Know he knew why he was called Diablo…

"Mwuahahahaha!" The toaster cackled, "You see? You are clearly outmatched, _roedor! _Nothing can stop me with my newfound powers!"

Sonic frowned, "Do you know who I am? Sonic the Hedgehog, hero of Mobius; ring any bells? I've beaten every 'super powered' baddie there is!"

Diablo's cord twirled in the air, "But none like me, _roedor,_ none like me! I have—"

Sonic watched Diablo soar into the air and disappear over the horizon. A panting, steamin'-angry, Knuckles stood where the toaster once did, with his arm extended and hand closed to a fist, "That'll…teach you…"

"Dude…" the hedgehog gaped.

The echidna held his head, stumbling around quite dizzily, "We have to go find him. If…if he gets to Furville…there's no telling what kind of damage he could do."

"Sure sure, but let's get you to a hospital or something. That little guy might have given you a concussion," Sonic reasoned before propping his friend over his shoulder, "What direction is Furville? I can get us there in a second."

He saw the Guardian's eyes widen with shock. That wasn't a good sign. Looking up, the red Mobian slowly lifted his arm and pointed in the direction that Diablo was sent flying off to, "Over there…"

* * *

It was late noon, closing in on the afternoon, and the city was bustling. It was a weekend, so the sales from stores drew in customers and restaurants and cafes filled up their empty tummies. It wasn't too hot out; there was a slight breeze and clouds in the sky. It was a perfect day for the task Sally had asked to be taken care of. The "important task" the two AIs were left to was something one thought was a fun idea, and the other thought was boring and humiliating:

Babysitting Cream and Cheese.

While Metal tolerated and didn't hate their company, he objected to the fact that he was stuck with such menial responsibilities. Nicole, on the other hand, thought it was a good experience and wanted to see more on how the rabbit and Chao were able to get along with the stubborn prince so well. The unlikely trio (plus Cheese) agreed on a walk to and around the park, as it was what Vanilla suggested before she left. Of course, passing through the city was not enjoyed by _all_ of them…

_These females keep looking at me, _the blue lynx panicked, _MY clothing is not that interesting, nor does it have any images…why do they insist eyeing me as if they were predators?_

"Something wrong Mr. Metal?" a sweet sounding voice inquired. He turned his head to the young rabbit in assurance with a smile.

"Nothing, it's just that I hope there are less people at the park," he swiftly lied. He was not going to admit that this sudden attention from strangers was…unnerving.

Nicole raised her eyebrow at the explanation but thought it would be best to let the subject be. Besides, she still remembered the last time she was at the park with Metal, and the brown lynx did not want another situation like that!

Yet the female AI took note on how close he kept Cream near him in a very protective manner.

The group arrived at the park soon enough, and to Metal's relief they seemed to be some of the only people there. After searching for suspicious figures and finding none, the male AI let the rabbit and her Chao drift a few feet in front of him to enjoy her surroundings. Meanwhile, he got some alone time with a very beautiful lynx. Nicole coiled her arm around his and leaned her head on his shoulder. This was nice, just the two of them…and Cream and Cheese, course. But she enjoyed their presence, somehow they made the moment better…

"Mr. Metaaaaaal!" The small Mobian called out, "May you push Cheese and I on the swing?"

The blue lynx half-pouted, though his companion beamed. Nicole nudged her lover in the arm, "She's become quite attached to you, hasn't she?"

"It appears so…"

Curiosity suddenly flared inside the female AI's systems. She urged Metal to comply with the rabbit's request, "Go on, Cream looks like she won't take no for an answer. Don't worry, I'll watch out for any enemies closing in on us."

Ignoring that last sarcastic remark, Metal went over to push Cream and Cheese to their hearts' content. The two enjoyed it, of course, and didn't wait to shout at him to go faster. Nicole observed the hesitation on the blue lynx's face before he pushed a little harder; it looked like he thought it was a bad idea. He did what Cream asked, though carefully. It became obvious to the observing AI that Metal did not want the rabbit (or her Chao) to get injured in anyway. Her systems recorded the scene before her to review later; she might have found why Cream's presence made her happier.

_No, that's not the right word,_ she scolded in her head while furrowing her brows. It was more like the young rabbit made the moment…complete…

Suddenly Nicole heard a high pitch squeal that derailed her train of thought. Cream and Cheese had abandoned the swing and ran over to see a couple with their baby enjoying the park. The brown lynx watched the rabbit ask them something. The two Mobians looked at each other, smiled, and let the young girl and her Chao see the baby up close.

And that's when it hit the female AI over the head.

* * *

_*click*_

A small screen of a handheld device showed some static after being turned on. The clammy palms of the holder started to sweat in anxiety; it was always dangerous to contact _him, _but to be the bearer of bad news as well? That's being stuck between a rock and a hard place; dangerous to call, and bad news that had to be given.

The static disappeared and an obese figure showed up on the screen.

"D-Dr. Eggman!" the caller shrieked in a whisper, "How-How are you-"

The egg-themed villain had an amused look on his face, "Surprised to see me Professor Montgomery? Finitevus is in the lavatory right now and has asked me to take a call he was expecting. I didn't think you were so important to him, hohoho."

To the mysterious caller's relief, the doctor was shooed away by the arrival of Finitevus. The albino echidna adjusted his glasses before looking into the screen, "Montgomery, you're late. May I ask why?"

After not receiving an immediate answer, Finitevus lost patience, "Speak, mole!"

The now-frightened Mobian choked out his report, "S-sir, it's just dangerous here in New Mobotropolis to contact you, so I have to walk to the outside of the city. I...I have some bad news…"

Dr. Finitevus glared, "You'd better hope it isn't bad enough to cost you your life, Professor."

The mole gulped, "The men I hired were unable to complete the job and were arrested…there doesn't seem to be anyone else who will take the job offer—"

"The weapons are of little importance at this stage," the albino interrupted, "I was only intrigued on how advanced our enemy's technology is at the moment. Though…I do have a new task for you, Professor."

Montgomery felt shivers go down his back, "What would that be?"

* * *

"Did you have fun with Nicole and Metal?" Vanilla asked her daughter as they prepared the table for dinner.

Cream nodded while getting the plates, "Uh-huh, we went to the park! Mr. Metal pushed me on the swing and we saw a couple there as well. I got to see their baby, too!"

"Chao, Chao!" Cheese agreed.

The mother rabbit smiled softly as she continued to listen to her daughter's story. While cutting up the vegetables, she heard a knock at the door. Biting her lip at the horrible timing she called out to the younger rabbit, "Cream, could you get that please? I'm a little busy with the food."

At her mother's request, the Mobian girl and her Chao answered the knocking. As Vanilla finished up, she turned to the kitchen exit to see Nicole standing there nervously and avoiding eye contact. Shocked, the rabbit still greeted her guest, "Hello Nicole, why the visit?"

The lynx played with her hands before building enough courage to speak, "Can…can I talk to you about something?"

"It seems I'm the go-to girl for you and Metal," Vanilla joked, "But of course you can. Cream, could you put the vegetables in the soup and watch it, dear? That _is _our dinner."

Cheese helped Cream move her stool over to the stove as Nicole was beckoned to sit in the living room. Getting comfortable, the rabbit guessed she would have to start the conversation, "So what's been on your mind lately?"

Deciding to finally get it off her chest, Nicole stared Vanilla straight in the eye, "Babies."

* * *

**This toaster is proving to be quite troubling :D If you haven't read the first story yet, you probably don't get why Cream and Cheese are here ^^'. If you HAVE read the story and don't know why...well, shame on you xD Oh and PLEASE PLEASE someone understand the irony in the "mysterious caller's" name :D**

**A thank you to Espionage247 for Beta reading! once again :D  
**

**And on a side note, I am sorry to inform we are losing our arguably most winded reviewer, SolarRuby17 :( SolarRuby's is moving somewhere with little internet access, so no more giant reviews for a while...be sure to give a farewell! (Don't read this and wonder why I wrote it, EVERYONE reads the reviews for a story, not just authors :D)**

**Until next time!**


	6. Diablo pt2

**Well, this is going to be a shorter chapter. THeis and next chapter were supposed to be put together, but I wasn't liking where the story was going and I"m making some changes again ^^' Sorry guys. But its going to be picking up quick, looking back I thought it's been pretty slow so far :P**

** Zero: Its fine, just glad to have you back!**

** The Drone: Didn't know you were such a big fan of Omega xD But this takes place in the Comic Universe, and I don't really like that Omega as much as the ones from the games :P I don't see fitting him or the Rogues in unless as a cameo, so maybe.**

* * *

Diablo, pt.2 

"Hey mom, look at this awesome toaster I found!"

_Mwuahahahahaha!_

* * *

King Elias of the Kingdom of Acorn rubbed his temples. He had just released to the public that the Destructix had escaped prison and the city was not quite pleased to hear about it. He did not tell them what they learned from Fiona on who had broken them out and why, though. He needed the people on his side right now. The Council of Acorn didn't seem to approve of his ties with Metal Sonic, Hamlin in particular. He was often openly vocalizing his objections to the prince's staying here as well as his ruling over the G.M.E. (to the Council as well as the rest of the city), as he believed most of it, if not all, should be annexed to the Kingdom of Acorn. He was becoming quite the problem, as he had convinced Rotor and the rest of the Council to overlook Metal Sonic's robotic body and its progress. Since the king was deemed to be a friend of the now-nanite lynx, Hamlin also had the Council to agree to forbid Elias to have access to the lab that stored it. The pig openly vented his opposition to every decision the king had made and he was beginning to show influence among the other Council Members.

The squirrel king looked over to his lynx companion, "Metal, has Mogul contacted you about this problem with the Destructix?"

He nodded, "The mammoth assured me they are for security purposes only. They had recently proved their worth and commitment to contracts by stopping an infiltration on the temporary government headquarters."

"Oh really? Was it Finitevus?"

The lynx smirked before giving his enthusiastic answer, "Actually the spies were confirmed members of the Royal Secret Service. Before you ask, yes, I know you were not the one behind this. Someone as experienced as you in these situations would have set a much better plan than merely sneaking in. I think we can agree that a certain pig was pulling the strings here."

Elias was shocked, embarrassed, and angry. How dare the Council issue such an order without his knowing! Before he could apologize, Metal Sonic flicked his kingly forehead, "Don't bother trying to take the blame here. Just think about mentioning to everyone next meeting. Your men will return to the city soon enough, I'm going over to the G.M.E. later today to see how things are going."

Rubbing the mark left by the lynx, Elias dismissed the situation, "Fine, we'll settle this your way. I still haven't found out any progress on your body. Rotor and Tails keep giving me the same answers…"

"Prower…"

"Sally tells me you and Tails have become quite good friends," the king went on as he went to a cupboard by the wall, "I think it's amazing how quick you're getting on everyone's good side here."

Metal Sonic smirked, "He is quite the engineer, if he wasn't so attached to the city I would take him to… to…"

Elias had turned around, revealing what he was retrieving from the cupboard:

A small bowl of chocolate pieces.

The squirrel followed his friend's gaze and looked back and forth between the bowl and the lynx. He chuckled and held the bowl up to him, "Would you like so—"

In an instant, his chocolates were swept out of his hands and into the blue lynx's mouth. His entire face was submerged into the bowl as he devoured the food like a starving animal. Elias took a step back in surprise of Metal Sonic's sudden change in demeanor. Usually he was so calm and kept, why this chaotic behavior over some chocolate?

The bowl dropped, and the lynx took little time in licking all the sugary goodness from his fingers and lips. Noticing the squirrel grimacing against the wall, he smiled innocently, "Thank you."

Elias returned a nervous nod, still unsure if everything was all right, "I… I didn't know you could eat with that body."

"Well," Metal Sonic sheepishly scratched his ear, "I cannot actually _eat_ like you do. Nicole says I am not supposed to either…"

The Mobian tensed up, grimacing again, "W-W-Why not?"

The lynx opened his mouth to answer, but instead of words, pieces of chewed up chocolate erupted from the back of his throat. Time seemed to slow down as Elias watched the regurgitated food soar across the room towards him.

* * *

It was now the later after noon, almost nearing evening, and the red and blue duo had seen no trace of Diablo, the toaster from hell, in Furville. Though still a little dizzy from their last encounter, Knuckles had Sonic check every store in the city for the toaster, as it had stickers of flames on each side. The hedgehog dropped his woozy pal off at the nearest doctor's office to rest before setting out on his task. While he was gone doing that, Knuckles would rest and get some medication for his head. Having returned with nothing, both Mobians realized someone must have taken the kitchen appliance to their own home.

The echidna held his head in his hands, "We're too late. How are we supposed to find him now?"

"Google?" the blue speedster shrugged.

His friend glared back, "Sonic, try to be serious. You saw what he did to us back there. That was without any civilians, now he can use them to his advantage. He probably still hasn't shown us all he can do yet."

"All right, all right," he apologized, "We're finishing this before it gets dark. He could get away under the proper conditions. You think he's being used right now?"

"…Used?"

"Y'know, like is someone putting bread inside of him to make toast," he chuckled, embarrassed at his own thoughts, "I wonder what would happen…"

_*Meanwhile…*_

"All right, the first piece of bread for my new toaster," a cheery, young, parrot boy grinned as he prepared for his snack. He hoped his new toaster cooked as well as it looked. When he found it lying on the side of the road, he couldn't believe his luck! It looked brand new, and it had those awesome flames! There was a small dent underneath the front, but other than that: flawless.

The young Mobian got the bread from the bag and placed it in a slot.

_Perfect…mwuahahahaaha…Dammit, if only I had hands to fold evilly!_

The parrot placed his feathered hand on the lever.

_Almost there…come on already!_

"Time for toast," he beamed as he pushed down the lever to activate the toaster.

_*Back at the hospital*_

Sonic and Knuckles could hear the explosions from where they were. They exchanged a quick glance, and then focused their attention towards the direction the panicking citizens of Furville were running from. Knuckles got up from his chair and put down the ice pack that was on his head. Ready to run with Sonic, his hand was caught by an older Mobian sheep, his nurse.

"Oh no you don't," she bleated, "You've got to rest! We still don't know if you have a concussion or not."

The echidna wrenched his arm free, "I've been through worse than this, believe me!"

"Knux," he heard the hedgehog calmly sigh, "…wait, I have an idea…"

* * *

Elias came out of the wash room dressed in fresh clothes. He had just survived a horrifying experience he hoped never to venture again. Despite what the maids said about the "nanite puke" coming off cleanly, he did not at all feel "lucky" about that! Straightening out his new clothes, he came back to the embarrassed lynx.

"I am sorry about that," he spoke with guilt in his voice, "But now you know why I'm not allowed to eat that…"

The king let out a short laugh, "Yes, you showed me rather _colorfully_, I'll give you that. But let's just forget the whole thing happened. I'm already trying to suppress it from my memories."

"Agreed."

The two continued to stand there in awkward silence until Sally came barging in, exasperated and out of breath. Her attention went straight to the blue lynx as she rushed towards him, "Metal, are you able to contact Nicole at all?"

He raised an eyebrow, "Only if I was integrated into her systems, but Nicole had told me the nanites she used to create this body were separated."

"Is there any way you could though?" the squirrel shook his shoulders, "I've been trying to find her for an hour now and I think something's happened! I even used her old handheld!"

A frantic look instantly formed across the prince's face. He asked for Sally to lead the way. When they arrived at her room, she gave him Nicole's old residence. Elias was not far behind.

Metal Sonic silently thanked Nicole for being able to transfer most of his abilities into his nanite body; sine a part of Nicole was inside the mobile device, he would be able to trace her signal and locate her whereabouts. The two Mobians watched as what looked like a thin line of electricity zapped out of the lynx's pointer finger and into the handheld. The blank screen suddenly shined a bright light before fading down to a black screen with a blinking white dot.

Sally peeked over Metal Sonic's shoulder, "What is that?"

"That is Nicole."

"What? She's in there?" the squirrel panicked.

"Don't be absurd," the lynx almost scolded, "Let me finish my work."

After a couple more quick shocks, the screen zoomed out into a map of the city. The blinking dot could be seen on the outskirts of New Mobotropolis, in fact outside of the city limits.

This time Elias moved forward and peered at the device, "Is that a secret tunnel of some sorts? Did Nicole build that?"

"Negative," came Metal Sonic's cold correction, "This area is outside the wall, and therefore was not created by nanites. It was Mobian made."

He turned around with the device and headed towards the door. The sibling Mobians' heads turned to each other in silence before scurrying over to follow. Sally tugged at the red eyed lynx's sleeve, "Where do you think you're going?"

"I am retrieving Nicole," he stated with no emotion.

"Hang on, we don't even know—"

"If you were really her friend you would be making a plan for her rescue right now," Metal Sonic interrupted.

The princess clenched her fist before shouting with authority, "Would you stop being so impatient! We don't know if this is a trap, or if Nicole is even in danger…I said stop! Don't make me hold you here by force Metal!"

Already at the exit of the castle, the prince turned around to give a dark grin, "Then try and stop me, princess."

And in almost an instant he took off running. The nanite body was nowhere comparable to his real body's speed, but he was twice, maybe three times faster, than a normal Mobian; Elias and Sally would be unable to catch up before he got to his lynx…and her soon to be dead captor.

Asking Elias to stay behind to keep things under the radar, Sally followed after the speeding blue figure. She knew she couldn't get to him, but she could still keep up to follow him to Nicole.

* * *

**Again, REALLY sorry about the short chapter, I'm working on the end of the Diablo saga right now! ^^' But my dog is also not doing well, so the drive to write is not my main priority right now :( **


	7. ATTENTION

**Hello everyone, LC here with a status report:**

**So far I've sort of lost the drive to write, the story is all in my head, its jus that I haven't found enough time where I'm focused/awake enough to sit at my laptop and type :P I also need to explain some stuff about certain events that might have people confused ^^'**

**Right now the story is on temporary hold due to my drive and a bit of writer's block. But you guys might be able to help with that…**

**There's a couple of things I can't really hit on or make up myself, so if you readers could assist in anyway, it would be much MUCH appreciated ^^**

**First off, I really need a name (a person's name), but I need something that's almost never used but still sounding cool, dark, and rolling off the tongue really nice. It can be any kind of name, English, Japanese, Dutch, German, Italian, anything! It just has to be a name that's easy to remember. This is for a character that has yet to be introduced, but that's all I'll reveal.**

**Secondly, I need to remind you that in my story, Naugus didn't lose his elemental powers (another thing Ian Flynn has destroyed Dx) so if anyone has ANY info on his feats, please share! Mobius Encyclopedia doesn't really help there :I**

**Now on to explanations…**

**In the first story, Scourge was able to achieve Super Form with the Zone Receptor. Traditionally, the Super Form can only be achieved by getting energy from the 7 Chaos emeralds /whatever they're called in Scourge's zone. Now the Chaos Emeralds have the largest capacity for storing and releasing Chaos Energy, making the Super Transformation from them the most powerful transformation achieved. So a lot of readers were probably thinking I over powered Metal Sonic by making him last that long against Super Scourge and completely stomping him when Super Metal Sonic happened. Here's an explanation for that: The Zone Receptors are NOT Chaos Emeralds, so they do not give off as much energy as 7 of them at once. I should have said this waaay earlier. The Zone Receptor is more like a middle man that transfers the Chaos Energy of the zone into the receiving person/Mobian. It does absorb and store the energy, but it can't give off as much as seven Chaos Emeralds do, so the Super Transformations are not as powerful as a regular one. That is why Scourge was beaten so quickly when Super Metal Sonic fired the Eclipse Cannon….that and it's the freakin' Eclipse Cannon, we've all seen what it can do xD**

**Secondly, I've already received some questions about how Finitevus is able to create the Zone Receptors. He's a scientist who can created something like the Chaos Syphon suit (which turned him albino and gave him black chaos powers). He's near the level of Eggman when it comes to tech AND has Warp Rings, I think something like the Zone Receptor would be extremely difficult BUT ALSO POSSIBLE for him to create.**

**Lastly, Metal Sonic has not turned official "Good Guy". He is still considered a villain, but does not currently have the drive that causes him to commit villainous acts. Eggman does not control him, nor does he want to kill Sonic. The answer as to why that can be is obvious :P This will be shown more later in the story.**

**So once again, sorry for the bad news, but if anyone could help with the two things I mention above, it would be GREATLY appreciated :D I don't know when I'll update next, but know that I will not abandon this story!**

**-LordCooler**

**P.S. I will keep this chapter up even when I update, so you don't have to leave anonymous reviews! ^^**


	8. Diablo pt 3

**It has certainly been a while, and I apologize! D:**

**School and work have taken up a lot of my time. But I got my drive back, so I'm devoting almost all my free time to writing! :D **

**I plan to finish this story, and to those who offered help with names, THANK YOU! ^^ I'm boiling it down to two that I really like, so you guys helped out a lot!**

** The Drone: Metal is the much superior Model, especially in game canon ;D Super Speed Unlimited destruciton ammo in Sonic universe haha but I like Omega :D**

** tolazytocomeupwi, I got the Spongebob reference ;D**

* * *

Diablo, p.3

Furville was in flames, and a devious, demonic toaster reveled in it all. Mobians ran in all directions; many tried calling for the authorities as well. Two buildings were now fully engulfed in flames while more spewed from Diablo's toaster slots. It all seemed like a child's video game or crazy Saturday cartoon. But unfortunately for Furville, it was real, and it was happening.

"These buildings burn so slowly," the Spanish toaster mumbled, "and I was expecting more of a resistance…I guess I should show them what happens to those unprepared, mwuahahaha…"

Suddenly, a spinning blue ball rocketed towards the arsonist. Diablo barely managed to dodge it, but he knew who it was…

"Don't tell me you thought you could go on a rampage and not expect me to come by," Sonic the hedgehog taunted by sticking out his tongue and exposing his eye, "Honestly, villains these days!"

"You finally show yourself _roedor!" _the toaster spat, "and you let two buildings –_homes- _burn down. Some hero, eh?"

The hedgehog glared in response.

"I don't like talking to you," he scoffed before spin-dashing into his fiery opponent. Diablo was hit this time, and was knocked onto the ground. Sonic attempted another attack, but the toaster managed to scoot away in time and let out a burst of flame that the Mobian just barely managed to dodge. Checking to see if his spines were still there, he gritted his and dashed in a zigzag formation to make sure he wouldn't get singed by another attack. This proved to work, as Diablo missed with each blast of toaster-fire, and the speedster got close enough to throw a solid right hook into the side of kitchen appliance and sent him crashing through a store window.

"Yeow!" the Mobian screeched as he tried to shake off the throbbing pain of his hand, "Needed a little bit more speed for that one."

An electrical cord soon snaked out of the broken window and whipped Sonic in the face, following through, and coming back for another in the opposite direction. Wrapping around his ankle, Diablo flipped the hedgehog onto his back before launching his metal body into his stomach, knocking the wind out of the blue hero. Sonic answered by picking up the toaster and spiking him into the sidewalk like a football. The chrome terror remained still. Looming over the appliance, the speedster seemed to be waiting for something, and did not notice the cord behind him slithering about…

Catching him off guard, the electric cord coiled around his neck, strangling him. The hedgehog heard the now too-familiar cackling.

"Mwuahahahaha! Stupid meat bag, you should never just sit quietly for you foe to sneak up on you," Diablo gloated while tightening his grip. Sonic's hands fumbled around the wrappings around his neck before finding their way onto the part of the cord extending from the toaster itself. The gladiator bread-scorcher found it amusing and snickered, "Trying to loosen the grip is futile, mammal."

The Mobian grinned, and choked out a few words, "Ac-tually, I'm trying to _keep_ a grip…"

"Eh?" the toaster sputtered confusion. Before he realized it, a gloved hand attached to a red arm sprang from the ground beneath him and latched onto the cord between Sonic and Diablo. The toaster shrieked in surprise as Sonic sighed in relief, " 'Bout time…"

Knuckles smirked at his friend, "I told you not to 'hold your breath'."

"…that was lame…"

"What do you know?" the echidna growled back. Grabbing on to Diablo's cord with both hands, he eyed the toaster and chuckled, "Ready?"

The appliance trembled, "N-No."

The red Mobian jerked his arms upward, causing the toaster on the other end to lift in the air before the echidna sent him crashing back into the graveled up sidewalk. Knuckles repeated this four more times. Sonic watched on after the grip on his neck loosened off completely, "Wow, did you overdo it enough?"

"I needed some payback after that banzai attack from last time," the Guardian shamelessly admitted as he reeled in the unconscious toaster and ripped off the electric cord at its base, "Better get rid of this thing…All right, let's get this freak back to New Mobotropolis."

"_After_ we help put out these fires," the hedgehog chimed in, "Unless you want to explain how Diablo got into Furville in the first place."

Knuckles sheepishly scratched the back of his head, "Eh heh, right…"

* * *

Metal Sonic stood outside of the walls of New Mobotropolis, his attention intent on a small screen of a handheld device. The blinking dot told him that Nicole's presence was a few feet in front of him underground. The blue nanite-lynx scanned his surroundings; this particular area of outskirts was still barren rock and dirt, and the only geographical attributes worthy of significance was rubble from what used to be a boulder which had been gathered up in a well organized pile.

He raised an eyebrow, _This is an insult to my intelligence…_

* * *

Her systems were foggy; her vision was slowly adjusting back to regular settings, but the sound receptors and other sense software was still far from normal. It was as if someone had put her circuits in a blender and then put that blender in another, larger blender. Concentrating, Nicole managed to arrange her coding to get her visuals back online properly. She was in a room, or more of a lab (and a rather low-funded one at that). The color of the walls and floor were brown, in fact they were mostly dirt. She concluded she was underground, outside of the city, as she couldn't materialize wherever she wished. There was only one screen, with an old keyboard sitting on an old coffee table. Circuit boards and other computers were scattered on the ground, and it was then the lynx realized she was strapped to a table by what looked like a couple leather belts around her body.

"So you're awake," a nasally voice rang out. Nicole turned her head to see Professor Montgomery Mole, a recently fired professor at New Mobotropolis University. He pushed up his glasses and adjusted his labcaot. He was sweating, and his teeth chattered nervously.

Nicole felt something flare inside her, it felt like…anger. She decided to let her emotions lead her, "What are you doing Dr. Montgomery? How did-"

"Shhh! Stop yelling, I have sensitive hearing," the mole groaned and covered his ears, "By now you've probably come to the understanding that I hazed the nanites that comprise your body to paralyze your systems long enough to get you here. You won't be strapped to that table for much longer; I'm just running some…tests."

A scowl appeared on the lynx's face, "What kind of tests?"

"Hehe," Montgomery snorted, "We'll just leave it at that. Finitevus was clear he didn't want you to know too much."

"F-Finitevus?"

"Yes, he's got quite the interesting request," the mole explained as he typed onto the keyboard, "It's strange that he's taken in interest in deleting you, but the file he told me to download into your systems won't be strong enough. I'll have to improve it."

The lynx's mind started racing, she tried not to panic but her eyes kept darting around the room, "What's going on? Why is Finitevus…why are you…"

"You can blame the Council of Acorn for your current predicament, they're the ones that had me fired in disgrace," he shouted back.

"You tried to send your students into cyberspace," Nicole exclaimed, "Anyone would fire you!"

The door to the lab was abruptly broken down with a loud THUD. A blue lynx looking at Nicole's old handheld body nonchalantly walked into the room. He lifted his head in the other AI's direction, "There you are."

He then turned to the gawking mole, "Who is this?"

Nicole's eyes felt misty, "Metal?"

Montgomery used this time to scramble through an escape hole in a wall. The blue lynx put down the handheld, "I'll be right back. Sally is on her way."

"Metal wait!" she cried out, but the male AI had already followed after her kidnapper. After a few moments of struggling in her bindings, Sally came through the broken down doorway. Her fur frizzled up and she went straight over to her best friend, "What the hell is going on Nicole?"

"I'll tell you late, just get me untied so I can stop Metal," the AI squirmed on the table.

Sally acquiesced to her friend's request. "Are you really worried about _him?"_ she muttered with disbelief.

"Trust me, it's not Metal I'm worried about."

* * *

The ex-teacher ran through the streets of the city, he hoped his short stature would hide him among the taller citizens from the wrathful AI lynx. His little legs and lungs pushed past their limits, and unfortunately, people took notice of the chase. Some even started cheering for red eyed pursuer despite not knowing the target.

Metal Sonic was closing in on his prey. He tried not to cause too much of a commotion, but he had to admit that the citizens of New Mobotropolis were not _all _idiots…for the most part. Shoving some people aside, he sprinted and tackled Montgomery to the ground. Unexpectedly, his momentum was used against him and the AI was rolled off the round Mobian. Chasing the mole into an alley, the lynx threw a lid of a nearby garbage can at the professor's feet and knocked him to the ground. He leapt onto his objective, but held back when a blade was drawn against him. Thinking he had an advantage, Montgomery rose to his feet a moved a step closer, "Not so tough when you've got no weapon, are you, huh?"

The mole lunged forward. In a swift motion, the blue lynx gracefully stepped to the side and flung his knee into the professor's chest, making him drop the knife. Grabbing the collar of the lab coat, Metal Sonic lifted the small Mobian off the ground with one hand and picked up the knife with the other. He drifted the tip to the Montgomery's nose. The mole shifted his gaze between the weapon and the blood lusted gaze of the AI, "Y-Y-You aren't going to really k-k-kill me…"

A venomous chuckle was his response.

"I think you sealed your fate the moment you decided to take Nicole from me," Metal Sonic smirked, "I'm glad I have this chance to administer your punishment, you filthy creature. Your death will not be quick…"

Montgomery gulped convinced.

A sinister smirk appeared on the blue lynx's face, "…and I certainly will make sure it will be as painful as possible. Maybe I'll mount your head in my personal study, heh."

The knife rose.

"Metal, don't you dare kill him! We need Montgomery alive!"

* * *

Rushing through the city, Nicole and Sally finally came to the alley. The green eyed lynx found her lover and her captor at the other end, and she didn't hesitate to try and stop Metal from making one of the worst mistakes possible. Sally was way ahead of her, "Metal, don't you dare kill him! We need Montgomery alive!"

"Metal please," the female lynx pleaded, "He can tell us about Finitevus!"

The princess turned to her AI companion, "Nicole, you have to stop him."

"I don't think he'll listen-"

"You know what I mean," the squirrel coldly stated.

* * *

Metal Sonic pretended he couldn't hear the females, they should know better than to get in his way on this matter. The mole made this personal, and the AI was not known to be the most forgiving person on Mobius after all. Montgomery squirmed the iron grip, "Aren't you going to listen to them!?"

With a toothy dark, grin, the AI settled his prey's fate. He looked into the professor's fear-filled eyes to relish the moment. He brought down the knife and-

The blue lynx blinked. Nothing was happening. He tried driving the blade down again. Craning his neck, he saw that his arm refused to move; it was frozen in place with a green glow around it. He stared wide eyed in disbelief, _How?..._

Since the mole had passed out from fright, Metal dropped his limp body and tried to pull on his arm with his free hand, yet it still refused to budge. What's worse, the hand opened up on its own to drop the knife.

That's when he realized what was going on.

Not wanting to believe it, he turned around to see Nicole. Her arm was stretched out towards him and her hand was covered in the same green particles that covered his own; it seemed as if she was clutching something.

Nicole looked into those blood red eyes. She knew things would not be the same after this. She knew he would feel betrayed. Her getting misty once more, the brown lynx couldn't bear to face the other AI and turned her head away while releasing his arm from her control. Sally went over to retrieve the passed out Montgomery and the knife before leaving the two alone.

Metal simply stared at the green eyed lynx. He did not allow himself to show any emotion, but he waited for her to say something. After moments of complete silence, he started moving and walked past her. Nicole kept her gaze to the ground, "I'm sorry…I didn't want you to know…"

He paused, but she did not receive a response.

Clenching his fists, Metal walked out of the alley without a word.

* * *

**So as you can see, the story is moving along nicely. But that doesn't mean I know when next update is going to be :P I hope before Thanksgiving, I really will try for it! I anyone doesn't get what was significant at the end, I don't mind explaining ^^' I think its my fault for making it unclear, as I was trying to create a rushed and frantic setting :P**

**Its been ages since I've asked for a review :O **


	9. Back

**Eh heh, sorry for the 3 month wait. I had the drive...and then I lost it :I But I think I might be getting it back. College and work has been rough, and since Hellsing Ultimate 10 came out, I had to rewatch the entire series from start to finish over and over again ^^' I get like that.**

**I get a couple weeks off in March, so I'll try for an update then. But February is filled up with school work and BioShock Infinte! :D **

**I will finish this story, that's a promise!**

* * *

Back

After days of wandering through jungle, Shadow the Hedgehog and Ixis Naugus finally reached their destination. The black Mobian glowered at what appeared to be a small cave; no evidence of any inner lighting, and the moss and vines surrounding the entrance told him that this "Ixis stronghold" had long been abandoned. Shadow shifted his stare to the wizard, "This is it? Naugus, if you're trying to play me for a fool, I swear—"

"Don't bother wasting with threats," the hybrid Mobian dismissed, "If it will help convince you, I will enter the cave first."

Shadow contemplated the risks of either of them going in before the other before coming up to a solution, "No…we'll move in at the same time."

"Fine by me," Naugus shrugged as they walked through the mouth of the cave, pushing back the debris in their way. It was almost pitch black, the only light coming from the sun outside. Only when he noticed the smooth floor and walls that Shadow determined it was no natural cave; probably created by the Order. Naugus muttered some sort of spell and almost instantly the cavern was aglow with an unnatural green light. Though a bit dim, it was enough to illuminate their way. There wasn't much to the secret hideout, just some strange words written on the walls and what looked like a mural of the Chaos Emeralds on the floor a few feet in front of them. The cave didn't even go back too far, maybe thirty five meters or so. But it was at the end of the cave that drew Shadow's attention. As the Mobians got closer and closer to their goal, the hedgehog noticed something lying against the walls.

He paused. Those were bones. Some of them even charred remains of some unfortunate treasure hunter or grave robber, it looked like they had been there recently…but the outside conditions of the cavern seemed as if this place had been untouched for many decades, perhaps centuries. The Ultimate Life Form grew wary and turned to his guide, "What is this Naugus? Some sort of sorcery to scare away intruders?"

The wizard shook his head, "It's the effect of the Ixian Emerald. This place is frozen in time. Those bones you see there have been there probably since the Order abandoned the cavern."

"Then what," the hedgehog continued walking, "What did this to them?"

Naugus remained silent, _You shall see, you impudent little fool._

Shadow's eyebrows furrowed, "Answer me—"

"There it is," the hybrid Mobian pointed with his claw, "The Ixian Emerald, right where it was left all those ages ago."

The hedgehog immediately looked over. The wizard wasn't trying to pull the wool over his eyes; the emerald was there staring back at him at the end of the cave. Strangely there was no altar or ceremonial design for the stone; it was just placed in a hole in the wall made to match its shape. The Ixian Emerald itself was a whitish green, and instead of the traditional emerald shape, this stone was more rounded in an oval shape. Shadow turned to Naugus, "Well? Is there some sort of spell or ward we need to worry about?"

He chuckled a bit, "Only against me, or rather any Ixis wizard underneath Master Mogul himself. You should not have any trouble taking it."

"You seem unusually calm, Naugus," the Ultimate Life Form noted, "If anything happens that is _not_in my favor, I can assure you, you will be paying for it with your life."

Shadow walked forward to the emerald. With each step he got closer, Naugus's grin became wider. The hedgehog would get what was coming to him; he would make sure of that. Not even the Ultimate Life Form could defend himself from what approached those foolish enough to challenge the might of the Order of Ixis.

The hedgehog took the Ixian Emerald in his hand, and immediately the greenish glow filling the cavern disappeared. He could feel the untapped Chaos Energy swirling in the stone. He could definitely use this power. He gripped it tightly, the Emerald needed to know that _he_was now its master; he would be in control of its abilities.

Naugus's grin faded away as the hedgehog remained where he stood. Something was not right here, why was that black and red rodent not being decimated on the spot, or rather before he was even able to reach the Emerald in the first place?

Shadow's confident voice startled him, "Something wrong Naugus? Was there some sort of booby trap that was going to stop me?"

"As a matter of fact, there was," he spat back confused, "I…I do not understand why he is not…"

The hedgehog moved back towards the wizard, still smirking, "Why who was not what, wizard?"

"The Guardian we placed here," he almost shouted in anger, "Our perfect soldier, why is he not here?!"

Shadow looked back to the skeletons, "So I'm guessing he's the one that did this…or perhaps he is among those remains?"  
"Ha!" Naugus scoffed, "If it would be that easy to kill him! The Order specifically designed him to be unmatched in skill and power."

"Then why was he on guard duty?" the hedgehog shot right back.

The taller Mobian turned away and grumbled, "Ixis Mogul was…concerned…that if he were to ever break free from our control, even _he_would not be able to stop him should he come for the members of the Order."

Shadow raised an eyebrow, "And why would he hunt down his former masters?"

Dismissing the conversation, Naugus started to leave the cave, "Enough, you have what you need, I will be taking my leave now."

The Ultimate Life Form dashed ahead of him, "Not yet, you still have your uses to me. You're going to help me unlock the Ixian Emerald's power."  
"How many times do I have to tell you, you pathetic rat," Naugus snarled, "Even Mogul could not-"

The black and red Mobian smirked once again, "I'm not Mogul though."

* * *

Miles "Tails" Prower was having a hard time at the lab underneath Acorn Palace. Looking over the files he got from the Council of Acorn, he knew he wouldn't be able to do what they were asking…or rather demanding. Rotor seemed to be fine with their decision, and he was busy trying to create the necessary tech for such a complicated task. But the fox did not want to be a part of any of it, not that he thought they could pull it off anyway. Metal Sonic was not going to be able to—

_*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*_

"Go ahead and get it Tails, I'm a little caught up right now," Rotor called out from the adjacent room. The young Mobian hopped off his chair, hoping it wasn't some Council representative here to "checkup" and complain about the slow progress. He'd like to see them try to even comprehend the intricacy of Metal Sonic's body.

He opened the door, but before he could give a customary "hello", his eyes widened and his jaws dropped, "M-Metal?"

The lynx did not appear to be in a good mood, "Tails, I'd like to have my body back."

He tried to move in, but the fox closed the door so that only his face could be seen, "We're not done with it yet! Just, um, just be a little more patient! Please?"

The yellow Mobian closed his eyes for what he thought was going to be vicious scolding and anger. After a few moments of silence, he peeked out of one eye. Metal was not enraged, but rather, he looked melancholy, sad even. His ears were folded down, and his eyes were staring aimlessly at the floor. The blue lynx sighed a bit, "Tails…we are 'friends', correct?"

The two-tailed Mobian opened the door a bit more and stepped out. "Of course," he replied with concern.

"And friends help each other, correct?"

He nodded his head, "Yes…"

Metal looked back up at him, his red eyes dimmed and soft, "Then can you help me by giving me back my body?"

"I…" Tails stuttered, "I…I'm not supposed to, but…"  
_What did he mean by "help"? Did something happen?_The fox thought. He kept trying to tell himself to refuse the AI, but his instincts –no, his common sense- told him he needed to do the right thing. Tails had never seen Metal ask for help, or in such an emotional state; this was serious. He needed to help his friend.

The Mobian groaned in defeat, "Come in, but…just try not to be angry."

The lynx slowly shuffled inside the lab, and Tails noticed his posture and depressed state still did not change. The two-tailed fox knew things would escalate in a few short moments though.

"I am positive I can complete repairs on my own body after—"

Metal Sonic froze in place. His eyes quickly found his body attached to a number of wires held up in canister, a standard yet proficient repair method. But that was not what had caught his eye.

There was his body; in perfect condition.

No tools around, no spare parts lying about. Just his body as if the work had been completed weeks ago. His gaze darted to the timid Mobian, "How long?"

Tails was too afraid to make eye contact, let alone speak properly, "We've…we've been d-done for a while now, b-but…but the Council decided against informing you until…"

"Until what!?" He suddenly roared.

The boy's eyes felt moist, "They were planning to put a chip inside of you!"  
Metal was now looming over the small fox, his eyes now devoid of any softness,

"A chip to do what?!"

"To…to," Tails sniffled out. He was frightened, more so than he had ever been in his life. Despite thinking of Metal as a friend, he was a terrifying figure nonetheless. He didn't know what would happen if he got any angrier, but he still felt guilty for hiding the truth from him the whole time, "It was an override chip the Council could use to control you after you got your body back!"

The pupils in the lynx's eyes shrank in disbelief. The Council of Acorn was this devoted against him? He knew there was only one person who would advocate this plot. But…if Tails was given knowledge, then how many other knew about this plan? Sonic? Sally? Elias?...Nicole?

He backed away from the trembling Mobian and stood by his body. Just then the door to Rotor's room opened up to reveal the walrus. He gasped as sweat started to bead down his face, "Metal, let me explain, you can't—"

The lynx clenched his fist and bounded over to Rotor, striking him across the face. As he stumbled backward the AI launched a kick into his stomach and sent him careening across the other room, smashing into a table. Once Metal deemed the purple Mobian unconscious, he returned to Tails.

"Rotor!" the fox cried out, but his collar was grabbed and he was pulled up face to face with those menacing blood red eyes. He was almost petrified by the lynx's glare.

"Put me back in my body." he ordered as his teeth clenched and his lip snarled.

Tails nodded, tears now streaming down his cheeks. He ran over to his computer to set up the constructed projector that Nicole designed before to transfer Metal's coding back into the robotic shell. He did his best to force his hands to cease shaking as he entered in the passwords and configurations, occasionally glancing back at the glaring AI. The screen in front of them omitted a blue checkmark as a sign to proceed. Time slowed down as Tails pressed the enter key and Metal's nanite body disappeared. A loading bar soon appeared and filled up to 100%. The fox's attention turned towards the metallic hedgehog in the display. Nothing happened at first, but soon the wires simultaneously broke off.

Red eyes lit up.

* * *

**DUN DUN DUUUUUUUNNN! Metal is back in, erm, metal! :D**

**And Shadow's arc is moving on as well!**

I understand if you guys are too mad at me too review ^^'


	10. Departure

**Ladies and gentleman, reviewers and lurkers, I bring you the next chapter in the Not in My Data saga :)**

**A big thank you for Espionage247 for beta-ing, and a wag of the finger to Microsoft Word Spell Check for suggesting incorrect grammar .**

* * *

Departure

Elias sighed; this was perhaps the absolute _worst _Council meeting he had been a part of during his reign. Hamlin was once again trying to make a statement about the lack of referring to the Council for decisions made by the team created to stop Dr. Finitevus, spearheaded by the Freedom Fighters. He seemed to be trying to get more control into what he claimed was, "the public's hands", but Elias suspected he just wanted more power for the Council. He didn't understand why the pig was so upset; they had just received word that Sonic and Knuckles had successfully captured one of Finitevus's minions and they'd be in shortly. If that wasn't a win, Elias didn't know what would satisfy them. After yesterday's events with Metal and Montgomery, the king wanted to discuss more on who they could trust during the hunt for Finitevus and how many spies the white echidna had lurking around.

Speaking of yesterday, Elias had not seen nor heard from Nicole at all since then. Sally explained what had happened with Metal Sonic and the lynx, and despite Metal Sonic being a close friend, the King had to agree with Nicole's actions. Though…he could understand the other AI's resentment when he learned in the end, his body was not fully under his control. Since he was Sonic's copy, it made sense that the AI loved his freedom, and was more than disheartened to find out he had none.

Suddenly, he heard a fist slam down and was quickly thrown off his train of thought. "And furthermore, it would be most appreciated if our own king would pay attention to our list of grievances he is accountable for," Hamlin seethed.

After Elias gave a sheepish—yet apologetic—smile, the Council member continued, "Now, after this last incident with Metal Sonic, I think we should take Project Unify into action. That is of course, with the rest of the council's approval."

Everyone but Uncle Chuck seemed to be slowly nodding their heads. Elias furrowed his eyebrows. _Project Unify? What's that?_

"Ah, permission to interject," Uncle Chuck raised his hand, "I don't think we can decide on this as Rotor is not present at this meeting."

Hamlin scratched his chin, "What? Oh dang, I didn't notice until now; where is he?"

"I think he's with my son in the lab," Mrs. Prower piped, "He's working on the Project as we speak."

Elias massaged his temples before finally speaking out, "Alright, everybody hold on! What on Mobius are you talking about? Project _what?"_

Hamlin snickered, "Doesn't feel too good to being in the dark, now does it? I guess we _forgot _to mention it to you. What Project Unify is, your highness, is the unification of Mobians around the globe, starting with the remnants of the old Eggman Empire, now called the Grand Mobian Empire."

"I don't believe Metal would be too keen with that idea, Hamlin," the king clarified while raising an eyebrow.

"That's the first step," the pig smirked and leaned closer, "We've had Rotor and Tails working on a microchip to put inside the repaired Metal Sonic's body, a microchip we can use to control the android. Since he's the head of the G.M.E., we'll be able to annex the territories lost to Eggman back to the Kingdom of Acorn! With a merger of that caliber, other Mobian nations will feel inclined to join as well, and we're sure we can unify the ones who don't through peaceful diplomacy. And if they still need more convincing…well…it won't be public knowledge that we'd have control over Metal Sonic, so I think saving them from an 'attack' would be persuade them enough. It's fool-proof, we'd be unifying Mobians all over!"

Elias rose from his seat; he had heard enough, "This plan is insane, not to mention criminal. Metal is a sentient being, it is against laws of humanity-"

"I wasn't aware artificial beings—a.k.a. an _android_—fell under such terms," Hamlin countered, "Besides, Metal Sonic has no idea—"

_BAM!_

Suddenly the doors of the Council chambers burst down, and an unconscious Rotor was thrown onto the ground. Metal Sonic in his original body stood at the entrance, much to the shock of everyone there. His blood red eyes burned into each one of the Council member's heads as he glared past each one before reaching Hamlin and Elias. The pig felt sweat beaded down his forehead and neck.

In an instant, the metallic hedgehog vanished and reappeared in front of the now terrified Mobian. "Surprised?" he questioned with a cold, unfeeling voice.

Hamlin could only gawk and stare. He tried to respond, but his mouth was too scared to function. He saw a metallic claw reach out behind his head and the next thing he knew was what it felt like to have his face slammed into the table. Metal Sonic kept applying pressure to the pig's head; he needed to be humbled a bit. Deciding to spare his life, the robot lifted his arm and gave the Mobian a simple warning, "You've just made yourself a very dangerous enemy, meat."

The AI rose, addressing the whole room, "I am returning to the G.M.E. I would thank you for your hospitality, but I do not believe you have earned such. So far, nothing in our two nations' relationship has changed, though my personal opinions about the character of the Kingdom of Acorn will no doubt affect future negotiations and interactions. Do not expect that I will forget this treachery, and do not expect me to grant you forgiveness or penance of any kind. Farewell for now."

He took one last glance at Elias before launching himself through the ceiling of the room.

* * *

Sally heard the news. Almost immediately, she headed for her room to get Nicole, as the AI had returned to her old handheld device. But along the way she noticed two weary and worn out Mobians staggering into the palace. She recognized them instantly and ran up to them, "Sonic? Knuckles?"

The hedgehog gave a mock salute with a smirk, "Reporting for duty, ma'am."

The princess was obviously relieved to see them back, but…shouldn't there have been a captured enemy with them?

"Everything okay Sal?"

She looked past the two Mobians in front of her before answering, "Where's the—"

Knuckles cut her off with a presentation of what he was holding, "Here."

Sally stared at the object, "Guys…this is a toaster."

Suddenly the toaster vibrated, "Ingrate! I am no mere toaster, I am—"

"Shut up!" the echidna shouted as he punched the kitchen appliance, "I said no talking."

The squirrel jumped back with a small yelp, "It…it's alive?!"

"Oh yes," Sonic groaned, "Very much—too much—alive. You don't know how hard it was to take this freak down."

To both Sonic and Knuckles's shock, they heard the princess laugh. "You guys aren't serious are you? It's a toaster," she giggled.

The echidna's eye twitched, "Look at us! Look how beat up we are! Do you think we're kidding around?! This toaster is a menace!"

In Sally's mind, putting the word "toaster" and "menace" together would normally result in more laughter. But with the two heroes scowling at her initial reaction to their explanation, she deemed it wise to refrain from such behavior.

"Anyways," Sonic sigh, "What's been happening since we left?"

Like a blow to the head, Sally remembered where she had been heading in the first place. She slightly panicked before turning around to continue to her room where Nicole was.

Sonic called out, "Hey! I ask one question and you run away?"

The princess, turned around for a few moments, "Metal left, Nicole is sad, Hamlin's insane." And like that she was off again, leaving the other two Mobians staring blankly at the empty space in front of them.

"So…wanna let the toaster go and chase after him again?"

* * *

Honey the Cat, Prince Metal Sonic's head of foreign affairs and personal assistant to Nicole, strolled into the library of the Grand Mobian Empire's new temporary capital, located a few leagues south of New Mobotropolis. Though Metal Sonic was gone, his Mobian subordinate always made sure things were prim and proper as if he was returning to them that day. The library was last on her list of rooms to check, as it was everyday with her increasingly boring routine. It didn't help that nearly all of Eggman's converted robots were destroyed with the Eggdome, so most of the work was done by the maids; and they were not too appreciative of the fact that they were cleaning every day for no one at all. Occasionally the council and Mammoth Mogul (acting with Honey as Metal Sonic's personal representatives) would meet, but they never went further than the main lobby and conference room. Honey was especially upset that there was no one to enjoy the rather large library besides her. She knew Prince Metal Sonic would enjoy having a quiet place to think.

Honey sighed, and went about to—

_Hang on,_ she thought to herself,_ Why are the lights on?_

Immediately she was on the defense; no one was supposed to be in here. Was there a spy? A threat?

Not waiting around to find out, she crouched behind the nearest bookshelf and scoped her surroundings. Her large ears picked up the sound of pages flipping, then a book dropping on the floor. She judged the general direction of the noise, and recalled the outlines and room design of the library to pinpoint a location of the intruder.

_Let's see…he's at the…psychology section?_

Sneaking without a sound, the Mobian cat prowled through the aisles. The noises of paper grew louder. She was getting closer, but she did not have any sort of visual. The sounds grew softer; she had gone past the culprit. Tip-toeing back a few steps, she heard a book fall as if it was right next to her. This intruder was on the other side of the shelf to her right. Honey slowly reached her hand out, grasping a book at eye level and sliding it off the shelf without a sound. Not having a clear sight, she took off another book.

_Got'cha, you…you…um…_

Metal Sonic heard a soft and confused call from behind him, "Sir?"

The android jolted and flipped around to be faced with a bookcase._ The shelf has addressed me…illogical._

He scanned past and picked up his head of foreign affairs, Honey the Cat. He turned back to the table piled with books, dismissing the false alarm.

On the other side of the bookshelf, the Mobian blinked a few times before her mind registered that his Excellency had returned. She rushed around the end of the shelf to a few strides in front of Prince Metal Sonic. The cat straightened up, held out her head and addressed her leader, "Your Excellency, I did not receive any word that you had arrived, and I apologize for such inappropriate circumstances. But I think you will be pleased to be informed that I have kept everything organized and kept for your return. Also—"

Honey stopped when she noticed the lack of response from the hedgehog before her. "Oh," she gasped, "Sir, you've gotten your old body back! The Kingdom of Acorn must have repaired it completely."

The cat noticed his metallic fist clench up, sending shivers down her spine. Growing nervous, Honey fumbled with the next few words, "I, uh…Treasurer Mogul and I have kept your interest in the G.M.E. council decisions. There haven't been any issues so far except on future plans on connecting the infrastructure of the Empire's various regions…"

Still nothing. The robot's attention seemed fully on the psychology books in front of him._ But that doesn't mean he's not listening! Maybe he is just upset that I caught him off guard._

Honey scrunched her eyebrows,_ But his Excellency is __**never **__caught off his guard._

Rather than contemplate why he was upset, Honey decided to finish her briefing. Though she hesitated; the Prince might not want to hear everything in one sitting if he had just gotten back. Keeping her composure, the yellow Mobian cleared her throat, "Perhaps this is not the best time, Sir? If you and Miss Nicole would like to retire for the evening I understand."

This time, the cybernetic hedgehog turned his head and faced her. "Nicole…did not accompany me. I came on my own without informing anyone," he answered with a hint of melancholy in his voice, "You may be at ease Honey…there are no formalities needed at the moment."

His head of foreign affairs dropped into a more relaxed stance, "Right, Sir. May I ask…um, why didn't Nicole come? Does she know you're here?"

Metal Sonic returned to the books, "Most probably."

The cat's shoulders drooped, "Oh."

She took a closer look at what the Prince was focusing so much attention to. They were psychology books, with titles ranging from "_The Female Mobian"_ and "_Illusion of Trust"_. Was there some current tension between the two AI?

Honey moved in a bit closer, "Sir, if there's anything I can do to help—"

He shut the book, cutting her off. Expecting the worst, the Mobian cat froze; waiting for what she thought was the inevitable. But instead of pain or venomous warnings, she was met with very soft blood red eyes, "You've done enough. Thank you."

And with that, the android slowly walked to the doors of the library. Honey stood, dumbfounded. _"Thank you?" But I didn't do anything…_

Trying to figure out what his Excellency had meant, the Mobian's mind quickly wandered off to why he seemed so…downhearted. Hearing the library doors close, she quickly snapped out of her thinking and hurriedly followed her Prince.

* * *

"Nicole?"

"Nicole?"

_Stop calling me._

"Nicole, please come out. I know you feel horrible about yesterday but…you _had _to do it."

_Did I? Maybe I could have let Metal convince me that…no, what am I saying?_

"But I'm not even here for that. Nicole…Metal…he, he left. He got back into his old body somehow, I think he threatened the Council, and then flew off."

_I know. I knew he would leave the instant I saw him look at me. He…he hates me now._

Sally stared at the metal contraption in her hand. Her friend would not come out; she wouldn't even send text over the screen. A deep pit formed in the princess's stomach; somehow this was her fault. She couldn't explain it but her instincts were telling her that the two AIs were victims of her own royal stupidity. Placing down the handheld, the squirrel gave one last attempt, "It's not your fault, Nicole. _I'm _the one that told you to take control of his body. Sonic and I even convinced you not to tell him that you could control him in the first place. Metal is just confused. I'm sure he'll be back tomorrow, or even later today. I mean, you know him better than I do, he'll be back, right?"

…

The screen of the device turned on.

"…No."

_Good, she's at least speaking to me,_ Sally smiled; relieved she broke through. But the lynx sounded convinced that the other AI was not returning, and the squirrel had to change that.

"Remember what you told me?" she asked, still smiling, "The bites Metal kept leaving you? And remember what I said that meant?"

"…So?"

The princess snorted a laugh, "'So'? Don't think like that! You know exactly what it means. He loves you Nicole, he's your mate."

"…I…"

Sally continued, "He knew what he was doing when he marked you. And because of that I consider him part of our family now with you, Elias, and me."

"…Family?"

"Yes, family," she assured.

"…_Family_…"

The screen of the handheld brightened up, and a stream of code erupted to form a brown furred lynx in a purple dress. Her ears were down and already her eyes were watering to express her emotion. Sally's spirits rose; she finally got Nicole out of her shell. Talking to her this way was much easier.

The squirrel went to embrace her best friend, but the action was avoided. The AI lynx motioned her confused friend to the screen of her computer. Attaching a cable to her arm, the lynx typed onto the keyboard, and soon the monitor was filled with green numbers and letters moving around.

"Do you see this," Nicole asked, "This is my code, or in other words, my data."

Sally nodded for her to go on, "Alright."

"Let me show you what yesterday meant, or what it was supposed to," she stifled a sob. Her hands twitched a little as she typed some more. The screen zoomed into one stream of code that was in a double helix shape, much like DNA. But instead of all being green, one half of the helix was red.

The squirrel moved in closer, "That red stuff's not yours, is it? A virus?"

Nicole shook her head, "No. This particular area of coding is something I created within myself. It is spaced off from the rest of my data so it can grow on its own."

That made Sally step back a bit. She cleaned out her ear, "Did you say grow?"

"Yes," the lynx confirmed, her voice fading, "Since Metal was in his nanite body, I copied half of his _core _data, the very basics of his code and evolving AI. I also took half of my own core data, and placed both in that separated section."

"Oh my gods," Sally's eyes widened, "Nicole…are you telling me that…that?"

The lynx slumped forward, resting her head on her arms, "Yes…that piece of code is made from parts of both Metal's and my data…a program designed to develop and advance on its own, while borrowing it's framework from two 'parent' programs. I guess you could call it our child."

* * *

**And now a little Disney Parody for our protagonist. The setting is in his war room after he gets back to the G.M.E. Mind you it can sound a little violent, so in advance I am not feeling ill, mentally nor physically, but just remember who is singing this song and it should make sense hahaha! I was thinking about Disney songs matching which characters a few days ago, and then my brain created THIS:**

(To the tune of "_Part of your World_" from "The Little Mermaid")  
Blown off the World–Sung by** Metal Sonic  
**Setting: War Room

Look at this stuff,  
Isn't it neat?  
Wouldn't you think my arsenal's complete?  
Wouldn't you say this A.I,  
this android, has everything?

Realm of the bold,  
Treasures untold,  
How many weapons can one armory hold?  
Barely any room here to think,  
Sure, I've got everything.

I've got pistols and halberds a-plenty,  
I've got missiles and rockets galore.  
And battle strategies?  
More than twenty!  
If you're scared,  
Brace yourself,  
There's still more (*evil laugh*)…

I want to be where my enemies are,  
I want to send, want to send them fleeing.  
Watching them route away in—what's that word?  
Oh, retreat!

Their armies will give me ev'rything they've got,  
Unfortunately they'll get nothing out of it,  
Left with the bitter taste of – what's that word again?  
Defeat!

I'll make them scream!  
I'll make them run!  
I'll throw all of them into the sun!  
My enemies—despite your pleas,  
You be blown off the world!

What would I give to spend my days fully in battle?  
What would I pay to have every day basked in that fun?  
They'll turn and run, when I come  
eagerly right around the corner.  
Plans are failing, their soldiers wailing,  
Soiling their pants!

And ready to kill who I need to kill!  
Ready to hunt down every one of them!  
Set them on fire so they feel the—what's the word?  
Burn!

When's it my turn?  
Wouldn't I love, love to cover this earth in their blood?  
My enemies…  
Soon you will be…  
Blown off the world!

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and the bonus at the end! ^^ Maybe I'll do some parodies for other characters too, but those things are really kind of spontaneous haha**

**Until next time!**


	11. Realization Drops like an Anvil

**Another update! Its later than I wanted, but oh well ^^ Thank you again to the wonderful Espionage247 for beta-ing! :D**

**This chapter was planned to have two more "scenes" in it, but I thought it would be crammed in too much :P You'll see them next time ;)**

* * *

Realization Drops like an Anvil

"Well that could have gone better," Mammoth Mogul remarked as he and Honey the Cat followed behind Metal Sonic as the three left the Grande Mobian Empire council meeting. In a rather aggressive attitude, Prince Metal Sonic expressed first priority in ceasing any assistance to the Republic of Acorn with the capture of Dr. Finitevus. He decided the G.M.E. should focus its efforts to apprehending the echidna on its own in order to show the rest of the world its ability. Suffice to say the members of Metal Sonic's council were not eager to pass such sanctions, but arguing with a known murderous robot who contended with the likes of Sonic the Hedgehog was no easy task.

"Sir, if it's not too bold, Treasurer Mogul may have a point," Honey added.

Metal Sonic walked in front of his two assistants, his hands folded behind his back, his blood red eyes gleaming with unrest. "It doesn't matter," he stated without emotion, "The G.M.E. Council has no real authority; I command this nation."

Mogul raised an eyebrow, "Careful now, you're beginning to sound like your creator."

Honey expected the android to lash out at such a comment, but he continued walking, even chuckling a bit. "Sir is everything alright?" she asked with genuine concern.

_Negative Honey, everything could not be worse for me._

He decided not to answer her question, but rather gave her a command, "Honey, I'd like you to change the security code for my Chaos Emerald's vault, just for safe measures."

She didn't want to go, but the cat knew her duties and obeyed. Dismissing herself, she added, "Your Excellency, if there's anything else you need, or would like to discuss, please ask for me."

And with that she left the mammoth and robot alone in the hallway.

The two walked in quiet (to the AI's study, Mogul presumed) for a few moments. Mogul noticed that the Prince's assistant was no fool when it came to knowing her leader. It was rare to see servants with sincere care for their masters, and he would know.

Metal Sonic broke the silence, "Mogul."

"Hmm?"

There was another pause before the android spoke again, with even less emotion than before, "Would you think there would be unfavorable results from a war with the Republic of Acorn?"

The immortal halted in his tracks, staring wide-eyed at the hedgehog. For the first time in his long life, he was at a loss for words. A war? Against that child king and that blue hedgehog? Was this the AI's attempt at a joke? The initial shock wore off, and a hidden smirk swept across the large Mobian's face. Oh yes, he chose right for his current hobby. This AI was proving more interesting with every interaction.

"Undoubtedly, there would be," Mogul spoke at last, "Since we are a young nation with a questionable upper echelon, I don't believe the other powers of Mobius would be inclined to side with us. There is also the matter of Finitevus and how a war with a formidable opponent would only favor him and his mad quest."

Metal Sonic glanced behind him, "Interesting you mention the echidna…I thought your immortality would make you lukewarm about his goals."

"My body and soul may be immortal, but not their complete existence," the mammoth admitted, "Finitevus certainly has found the way to kill a god, and I don't want to test him on that."

"Coward," the hedgehog spat, much to the surprise of his companion. Mogul did feel offended, but there was something about the AI since his return that seemed different. He was angry, maybe more than just that. Honey knew what was going on; he would have to question her without Metal Sonic knowing.

Mogul noticed the robot stopped to look out the window. Now was his opportunity.

He cleared his throat, "Might I suggest a remedy to your current emotional state, if that's what you'd like to call it?"

Metal Sonic thought about vaporizing the mammoth.

Getting no response, Mogul decided to continue, "I think you may just be 'pent up' so to speak. When was the last good fight you had? When was it you last caused some real destruction?"

The cybernetic hedgehog turned to face him; now he had the AI's attention.

"Maybe you just need to fly around, look for something to do," the immortal encouraged, "There surely are some thugs or low-lives out wandering the Great Forest who won't be missed."

He could tell the Prince was contemplating. He wondered what sort of calculations went on in that tin bucket of a head, as his eyes usually never gave away what he was thinking. More importantly, he wanted to know why he could harbor feelings towards that AI lynx as if he were some common Mobian. Mogul knew this hedgehog was now more than some badnik or grand weapon. He was a player in the mammoth's game now, and the immortal knew he may have to contend with him as an opponent someday.

Suddenly, Metal Sonic walked past the G.M.E. Treasurer, and made a left towards the nearest exit. The ancient Mobian heard a muttered "Well Played," before the doors opened and closed, leaving him by himself. Mammoth Mogul smirked once again, and went off to find that Honey girl.

* * *

Sally Acorn sat on her bed with a bazillion questions running, swimming around her mind. Her best friend, Nicole the A.I. Lynx, was sitting at her computer, her face buried in her arms as she thought about how much everything went wrong yesterday.

The princess ran her hand through her red hair, eyes spacing out, "So…how did this all start? The… new code inside you, that is?"

Nicole shifted her head so that she was facing Sally. Her ears were flattened as she recalled those first impulses and emotions that led her to this experiment, "I think… it was when Metal and I were babysitting Cream one day. I saw how he took good care of her and how happy I felt with the three of us there together… well four of us since Cheese was there. But then… a couple came by with their baby…and then something inside of me just woke up or, or something happened and all I could think about was creating something with Metal, something we could love together and… and…"

The squirrel interrupted, "So you wanted the two of you to have a child?"

She started to tear up. Sally started to get up from her bed, but the lynx motioned for her to stop. She choked down a sob before continuing, "It's not just that though. I—I wanted to show Metal that he can create things too… everybody thinks that all he can do is destroy, and I don't want him to end up believing it himself."

"Or you?" Sally questioned as she pieced it all together.

Nicole sat straight in her chair, but then slouched quickly afterword, "I know he can create things like I can too, but there's nothing around to prove it to everyone."

The princess smiled and hopped off her bed to point her finger on the green and red code on the screen. "Then what is _that?" _she declared triumphantly.

The lynx's spirits didn't rise. She sighed, "I was the one that put our data together—"

"There!" Sally almost shouted. She was determined to cheer her best friend up and show her how wrong she was, "You said it is made from both of you, it is your child! Metal helped make it, even if he doesn't know about it! You can't let yourself become depressed so quickly; those emotions will take hold of you and stop you from thinking clearly."

The AI's ears began to rise a bit, "But…I…"

"No buts," the red haired Mobian smiled as she grabbed Nicole's hand, "You and Metal are going to be parents, and that proves he can do more than just search and destroy. I know yesterday was horrible for the both of you, but you have to tell Metal the next time you see him, in fact, he has to know as soon as possible, right now even!"

The green eyed lynx stared at her, the tears were beginning to dry up, "But what if he doesn't want—"

Sally cut her off again, "I said to stop thinking negatively! Stay positive! You know Metal more than anyone on Mobius, so do you really think he'll hate the one person he loves because he's having a child with her? Right now he's alone and confused. He's hurt and you're the only one who can heal him."

Her eyes dried, Nicole found her confidence building up. Why did she let herself fall into such a slump? Sally was right; Metal needed her, even if he was angry at her. The lynx's ears were now upright and she stood from her chair, "You're right!"

"I know I'm right, that's why I'm telling you this," her best friend joked, "Now what are you going to do?"

Nicole mimicked a smirk much like another (until recently) lynx had, "Well…first thing's first…"

Sally squinted in confusion, "What's that?"

The lynx headed for the door, leaving the princess behind, "I'm going to show everyone they're wrong about Metal!"

"What?" the squirrel exclaimed wide-eyed, "Nicole this isn't really the time—"

"I don't care," she laughed before deciding to materialize downstairs instead of running, "Someone has to bring some good news! Thank you, Sally."

As the flash of green faded, Sally immediately sprinted to find out where the AI went. Even though Nicole was causing a distraction to matters about Finitevus and Metal Sonic, the squirrel couldn't help but smile, knowing she was behind it all.

_Good gods what have I done?_

* * *

A stream of cloud trailed behind what looked like a jet breezing through the sky, and Metal Sonic's systems felt "relieved" of stress. He took notice of how his real body did not easily convey emotions and feelings as the nanite form did, but he shook such thoughts from his head. That shell was weak; in it he was nothing more than a marionette, and whoever controlled the nanites controlled his strings. He was angry, and at first his anger was directed towards Nicole's betrayal of their trust. But that anger quickly fell upon himself. His feelings for her clouded his judgment; he should have known the consequences of taking that nanite body. But what infuriated him was that meant he was showing signs of weakness, of _imperfection. _But now he was back in his true frame, that weakness was gone. Still…he did reflect on how happy Nicole was when he was in that Mobian-like shell, and all that hard work she put into it…

He thought back to the first action he took when she presented him with a form that utilized a mouth. He kissed her, and he enjoyed it as much as she did. He felt happy he could convey his feelings for her more openly and with more—

_Enough! _He scolded himself. He was out here to let out aggression, not build up even more! He arrested his engines and remained hovering above the Great Forest. Metal Sonic checked his scanners to pinpoint his exact location, but he was not getting any map images up. There was a frequency that was disrupting his navigation equipment. He followed the signal, hoping that whoever was at the other end would be suite enough for him to "relieve" more stress.

* * *

"So…let me get this straight," Sonic bit his thumb and creased his eyebrows. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't put his question in another way, so he just came out with it, "Nicole is…pregnant?"

"Yes," the lynx cheerily replied.

"Uh-huh. And Metal is the one who… got her pregnant?" he asked, slightly disgusted.

"Yes!" Nicole replied again quickly, with an even wider smile. This time Sonic, Knuckles, and Elias each made a face.

"…well, sort of," Sally corrected, "He is the father, if that's how you want to put it."

"And how many laws of nature does this break?" Knuckles leaned back in his chair nonchalantly, flashing a small smile.

"Come off it, Knuckles, you're missing the point," she chided, "This is wonderful for Nicole, _and _Metal. It might even bring him back."

"We _want _a killer robot who just threatened us to come back?" Sonic asked, "I can't leave you guys alone, can I?"

"I'm still not convinced on the whole AI parent thing," the red echidna groaned as he leaned back even farther.

Nicole stamped her foot, "Why not? This is the same as if you and Julie-Su made a child!"

And with that, the Guardian lost his balance and fell with his chair onto the ground. He got back up chuckling awkwardly, "Let's not…let's not use that as a comparison ok?"

Elias chuckled into his hand, "Don't want to give your girl any ideas, right?"

"Exactly," Knuckles gulped.

"Guys, guys, you're getting off track," Sally snapped her fingers, "We're talking about Nicole and Metal."

Elias stepped forward, "She's right, we should be more supportive for Nicole. So is it a boy or girl?"

Nicole tilted her head, "Is what? Oh, right!… Um, well… I don't know yet, heh."

"Hmm," was the king's reply; all while Knuckles face-palmed and Sonic groaned in his hands. Elias scratched his chin, "Right…Nicole, I don't want to sound rude, but are you sure you're prepared to be a mother?"

"What do you mean?" the AI asked with her head tilted.

Sonic chimed in, "Or more importantly, do you think Metal is capable of being a responsible… err…'father'?"

Nicole started to get nervous again, "Well I—"

"You understand that it's going to be a lot of work raising a kid, even an artificial one, right?" the hedgehog pressed, "There's teaching him moral values, playing with others, not taking up vengeance in his dad's name to try and kill me…"

As the blue speedster went on, the lynx he was lecturing to suddenly became enraptured by a swirl of realizations. She would be called a mother, and Metal a father… Metal was going to be… a father! And she—

"…I am going to be a mother," she softly mumbled while staring at the floor. Sonic stopped listing responsibilities as everyone watched the AI in silence. Suddenly, her eyes widened.

"I'm going to a mother!" she exclaimed this time. Images of internet searches of the term "mother" were being downloaded into her systems as quickly as they could. She called up the couple in the park from her memory banks, she remembered the connection Sally had with her mother, she remembered Tails 's happiness when his parents were brought back, and now Nicole had finally realized that she was going to be one of those people.

Her body started shaking as she mumbled incoherently, causing Sally to grab hold of the lynx in order to calm her down. But the squirrel quickly realized that her friend's shaking was due to her laughing. It was a genuine, giddy laugh, as when a small child found a once-lost favorite toy, as when two friends reunited after a lifetime apart. It was happiness, it was joy; it was a word for good feeling that was not in Nicole's data. The grin on the AI's face was stretched from ear to ear as she kept repeating, "I'm going to be a mother! I'm going to be a mother!"

Despite the initial worry for the lynx, the other three Mobian males simply smiled at the positive feeling in the room while looking at each other as if to guess why women always made such a big deal of things.

* * *

Miles "Tails" Prower sat in dark and silence, leaning against the wall of the Tornado's hangar. His head was cradled in his hands as his eyes glazed over thinking about how close he was to dying only a few hours ago.

"_You do not deserve 'friends' if this is how you treat their trust."_

Those were the last words Metal Sonic seethed to the fox before bursting through the ceiling of the lab; of course, not before throwing Tails against the nearest wall like a baseball. But the young Mobian knew he deserved it, heck, he knew he deserved worse than that. He did betray Metal's trust.

Tails clenched his fists. He betrayed a friend. How could he? Why did he go along with the Council's plan? If they were plotting something against Sonic, or Nicole, or anyone else he would have told them immediately to protect him. He wanted to protect his friends; that was one of the principles of friendship that he grew up with. Sonic was always there to save him, and even the fox himself was the hero of the day before. And the fox knew how it felt to be betrayed.

_I'm just like Fiona…_

He heard the hangar doors open up and felt the light that followed hit his face. His eyes squinted to adjust to the brightness, but he knew who it was. Sonic the Hedgehog soon stood over him with a worried look, "Bro?"

Tails looked back to the ground without an answer. But Sonic was patient, and the hedgehog waited for a few moments before sitting down next to the fox. Tails took a deep breath to recompose and finally spoke, "Sonic… what if I ever lied to you about something really important?"

Stretching his arms behind his back, Sonic looked up at the Tornado with a small smile, "I suppose I'd be angry… at least at first. But if I could find a good reason as to _why _you lied to me in the first place, I'd think about it and forgive you."

"And then what?" the younger Mobian asked.

The speedster glanced over, "What you mean? We'd still be pals. Water under the bridge."

"But what if it was about something that could change your life… and for the worst?"

This time Sonic fully turned to his younger "brother". He didn't know what to say that would make the fox feel better, at least not right away. Tails was too smart for the usual pep talk.

Suddenly, the blue Mobian felt a light bulb go over his head. He smirked, "Well that 'something' didn't happen in the end did it?"

"So?" the fox muttered.

"So," he nudged his companion, "If it never ended up happening, then that means you came clean in the end, even if you were lying before. I'm sure even I'd figure that out quickly, right?"

Tails sat in thought. If Sonic was continuing, he wasn't taking any of it in; those last words reverberated in his head. He did do the right thing, no matter how late it was. But still…

"You're missing the point," he growled in frustration.

"What—"

Tails suddenly stood up. "I lied to him Sonic!" he shouted in the hedgehog's face, "I was lying to him for weeks! Everyday day or any day I saw him, I'd put on a face and keep spitting out more lies! But Metal still believed me! He actually considered me a friend and how did I repay him?"

Sonic still sat there, still shaking off the shock of the fox's outburst. Soon, he rose as well and began walking out. He turned around once and shrugged, "You've got to come to terms with it yourself then, Tails. Just remember that you were under a lot of pressure for someone your age. Even your mom was coercing you to do it. I'm not saying to try and make yourself innocent, just don't take all of the blame."

The younger Mobian watched him leave. He stayed standing in the hangar for a while, before departing himself to settle his distempered mind.

* * *

_"Mwuahahahaha! Stupid meat bag, you should never just sit quietly for you foe to sneak up on you," Diablo gloated while tightening his grip. Sonic's hands fumbled around the wrappings around his neck before finding their way onto the part of the cord extending from the toaster itself. The gladiator bread-scorcher found it amusing and snickered, "Trying to loosen the grip is futile, mammal."_

_The Mobian grinned, and choked out a few words, "Ac-tually, I'm trying to _keep _a grip…"_

_"Eh?" the toaster sputtered confusion. Before he realized it, a gloved hand attached to a red arm sprang from the ground beneath him and latched onto the cord between Sonic and Diablo. The toaster shrieked in surprise as Sonic sighed in relief, " 'Bout time…"_

_Knuckles smirked at his friend, "I told you not to 'hold your breath'."_

_"…that was lame…"_

_"What do you know?" the echidna growled back. Grabbing on to Diablo's cord with both hands, he eyed the toaster and chuckled, "Ready?"_

_The appliance trembled, "N-No."_

_The red Mobian jerked his arms upward, causing the toaster on the other end to lift in the air before the echidna sent him crashing back into the graveled up sidewalk. Knuckles repeated this four more times. Sonic watched on after the grip on his neck loosened off completely, "Wow, did you overdo it enough?"_

*END TRANSMISSION*

"Well…this sucks…"  
"Indeed."

"What are we going to do with all those frozen waffles now, hyah hyah?"

"…"

"You need to learn how to take a joke, or at least even recognize one. Chamomile at least snaps at me if they're bad, but you don't even let your eye twitch."

"Hmm. We should report this to Dr. Finitevus."

"Yea yea, let's tell the others on the way and tell them to go watch the newest episode of Mobius Prime so they catch up."

"It is surprising you offered a valid suggestion, Gamble."

"Well I don't need to impress you, Thylacine."

The two figures watching the now blank monitor exited the chamber into a wider, more spacious one similar to a living room. One was a brown Spotted Hyena sporting a dark brown mane, a protruding snout, camouflage pants, and a toothy grin. The other was a greyish dog-like Mobian with tall ears, steel-plated boots, brown leather gloves, and a sheathed sword at his side. Inside the room sat two others; an orange toad with red Chinese leather armor sitting cross-legged on a mat in the middle of the floor, and a figure draped within a purple hooded robe with only red eyes and strands of light purple fiery hair to be seen, leisurely reading an old book on a red plushy sofa.

The hooded one lazily looked over. "Did you find him, Gamble?" she asked with a soothing, yet tired, voice.

The hyena chuckled, "Almost as good, Chamomile, the hedgehog found him for us, hyah."

The toad grunted, "That idiot. It's what he deserves for going off on his own."

Gamble casually flipped forward onto the sofa, landing in an upright position, "Can you blame the guy, Mao? I'd start to go mad if I was stuck in a building full of freaks, hyah."

The greyish figure strode over to the opposite side of the room, "I am going to report to Finitevus. You can expect to be mobilized soon enough, and hopefully it will ease your restlessness."

The hyena eagerly licked his lips, "Finally some action! I've never tried hedgehog before. I wonder how I should cook him?"

Chamomile scooted away from the couch's intruder, her eyes showing a look of disgust, "Please don't discuss your dietary perversion near me, I'm trying to read."

The toad squinted at the hyena, "What prison did you say you were incarcerated in again?"

"All of 'em," Gamble cheerily replied, "At least every one in the Sol Zone. This is my first time in this zone, but it seems to be the same around here."

Mao grumbled and returned to his meditation, "Not enough air if you ask me…"

Gamble directed his attention back to the others sitting near him, "What about you Chamomile? You ever been here; maybe burn a few villages down or rob a candy store, hyah?"

"No," she replied annoyed and buried her face in the book.

The hyena chuckled and leaned his head back to where his companion stood, "And you, Thylacine? You ever—"

But the other Mobian was gone, already departed from the room to brief their employer on the situation. Gamble scrunched his eyebrows and frowned, "I hate how he does that."

Chamomile flipped a page of her book, "I hate you."

* * *

**Character Profiles:**

The Thylacine

Race: Tasmanian Tiger (extinct)

Fur/Eye Color: Grey with dark stripes on tail and lower body/Yellow

Paraphernalia: Steel-plated Boots, leather gloves, sheathed broadsword

Powers/Abilities: Unknown, No Zone Receptor attached

Native Zone: Unknown

Gamble the Hyena

Race: Spotted Hyena Mobian

Fur/Eye Color: Light Brown with Dark Brown spots/Brown

Paraphernalia: Worn out hiking boots and hunter's cameo pants, multitude of different knives, satchel filled with "jelly beans".

Powers/Abilities: Contortionist, Meta-human gymnast and acrobat (now enhanced by Zone Receptor), brain chip installed by Eggman to exhibited super-speed reaction time, sharpened teeth and claws, expert knife handler

Native Zone: Sol Zone

Mao the Toad

Race: Wind Toad

Fur/ Eye Color: Orange/Black

Paraphernalia: Red Chinese Leather Armor

Powers/Abilities: Can leap great heights and distances, can create huge wind gusts by sucking in and blowing out (now amplified by Zone Receptor)

Native Zone: Zone of Oxygen

Chamomile

Race: Sinensis

Paraphernalia: Hooded Purple robe that shadows her face, black gloves and boots, ceremonial dagger, spell books

Eyes: Red

Hair/Skin: Her hooded robe, gloves, and boots cover everything up so that only her eyes can be seen, but there is some locks of light purple fire that comes through her hood. She calls this her hair.

Powers/Abilities: Adept sorceress and enchantress with spells and powers native to her home zone channeled through via Zone Receptor.

Zone: Camellia Zone

**As you can see, you've been introduced to Finitevus's small "team". These are in no way fan characters, these are OCs meant ONLY for this story, so I don't wanna hear people complaining on why I'm not using existing characters. If anyone is unfamiliar with the species Tasmanian Tiger/Wolf, I highly recommend Wikipedia haha :D They're an awesome animal! Chamomile on the other hand is a bit trickier, and I will personally deliver fresh internet cookies to anyone who understands her name, species, and zone :) And no cheating! **

**I know there has been a lack of action scenes, but that will be remedied next chapter I promise! :) **


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